
•'->, "^ , lt °^- °*^ <° 







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Samuel A. King. 



THE BALLOON 



Noteworthy Aerial Voyages, 



FROM THE 



DISCOVERY OF THE BALLOON 

TO THE PRESENT TIME. 



Narrative of tfye Aeronautic Experiences of fir. £amuel ft.. J£ing, 

AND 

J\ full Pescription of fyis Preat Paptive galloons and tfyeir Apparatus. 





AMERICAN 


WITH ILLUSTRATIC 


>NS. 
OF 


NEW 


r 

YORK 


(LIMITED.) 




ftfo § oxk 


THE 


AERONAUTIC SOCIETY 
I879. 






63 



A' 



Copyright, 1879. 
The American Aeronautic Society, of N. Y. (Limited). 



397 ^&3 
v. '80 



''HE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 



All previous balloon enterprises undertaken in this country are 
dwarfed in comparison with the plan which has resulted in the Aero- 
nautic Observatory of Prof. S. A. King. ' The balloons themselves are 
much greater than any ever before used for captive ascensions in 
America, and are the fruit of the most skillful calculation, of numerous 
inventions and of patient and long continued experiments. The sub- 
sequent pages contain a detailed description of this great aeronautic 
apparatus. 

THE AERONAUTIC SOCIETY. 

The origin of the enterprise is due to the discoveries made by Prof. 
King, during a series of experiments that occupied him almost con- 
stantly for more than two years, and in which he had the aid of an ex- 
perience as a practical aeronaut of nearly thirty years. These discov- 
eries enabled him to so improve the construction of the balloon that he 
had no difficulty in demonstrating the feasibility of building an air 
ship that would retain its buoyant principle for weeks if desired. Prof. 
King, moreover, having satisfied himself from long-continued observa- 
tions, that a great proportion of the easterly gales on our coast move 
clear across the ocean, announced his willingness to undertake the 
trans-Atlantic air voyage in a ship of his own construction. His plans 
having been carefully considered, an association was formed to enable 
him to enter upon their execution. 

During the winter of 1878-9 the whole field of aeronautics was 
carefully explored with a view of ascertaining the most feasible method 
of proceeding. It was decided as a preliminary to enter upon a series 
of observations of the weather conditions at different altitudes at or 
near the sea shore, and during the portion of the year deemed most 
suitable for entering upon the long voyage. At the same time it 
was believed desirable to arouse general interest in the matter by 
publicly exhibiting the required apparatus. 

The Manhattan Beach Improvement Company very kindly offered 
an advantageous site on their property contiguous to the ocean. Their 
offer was accepted, and the plans for construction were placed in the 



Vlll THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

hands of expert engineers. Several months were spent in settling upon 
the various details, but early in the year preparations were activey 
entered upon. 

THE PROJECT ANNOUNCED. 

The following letter to the New York Herald, and published in 
that journal April 7, 1879, is of interest in this connection : 

Philadelphia, April 5, 1879. 
To the Editor of the Herald : 

I trust that you will allow me through your widely circulated columns 
space in which to make a statement to the public of my plans and pur- 
poses during the coming season. For a period of nearly thirty ye?rs I 
have made a study and practice of aerial navigation. During the whole 
of this time, in the course of which I have made somewhat over two hun- 
dred ascensions, without injury to life or limb, I have steadily endeavored 
to avail myself of whatever experience or suggestion might afford to 
make traveling in the air practical, definite and useful. Numerous and 
often costly experiments have shown me that, with no mechanical ap- 
pliance or power yet discovered is it possible to journey definitely and 
with certitude through the air to any previously designated point, in 
opposition to the direction of a prevailing wind. The balloon, therefore 
remains to-day what it was in the days of the Montgol tiers, a machine 
that all the skill and ingenuity of man cannot prevent from floating with 
the wind, which controls and directs it absolutely from the moment it is 
launched. The application of any known mechanical power, to be of any 
use as against a wind directed upon the vast surface of a balloon, is en- 
tirely impracticable in consequence of the weight involved. We must, t 
is evident, await the results of the discoveries of an Edison, or until 
some one else shall have succeeded in devising a harness with which to 
control the electric current. 

But it seems to me that a great deal can be accomplished with the bal- 
loon, slave of the wind though it be. Thus far balloon voyages have been 
limited to the duration of a few hours at most. The longest voyage on 
record in thfs country was that made by Messrs. Gager, LaMountain, 
Hyde and Wise, from St. Louis, Mo., to Henderson, New York, in 1859. 
The balloon left St. Louis at six o'clock on the evening of July 1, and 
at thirty-five minutes past two o'clock on the following afternoon it made 
its landing. I have myself made an air voyage of over five hundred 
miles ; but, generally speaking, balloon journeys have been very brief, 
extending over comparatively limited stretch of country. The reasons 
for this are as plain and true as when thus expressed by the English 
aeronaut, Green, in 1840 : 

Apart from the leakage of the balloon itself (which, however, when in perfect 
condition, is not excessively material) a variety of circumstances attend its progress 
through the air by which, in ordinary cases, its power of sustaining itself becomes 
gradually impaired and ultimately, of course, completely overcome. Of these one 
of the most formidable is the difficulty of making the balloon retain the same ele- 
vation in the atmosphere and of avoiding those fluctuations in the level of its 
course by which it becomes subjected to the alternate exhaustion of gas by expan- 
sion and consequent loss of ballast in order to furnish an equivalent diminution of 
weight. The extent to which this condition of the art, exen ised in the usual form 
is capable of operating will be more readily appreciated when we observe that, at 
an elevation of 3,000 feet, the density of the atmosphere is nearly one-tenth less 
than at the immediate surface of the earth. The gas, therefore, expanding as it 
ascends, at that altitude occupies one-tenth more space than under its original 
pressure. A balloon, consequently, fully inflated at its quitting the ground, must, 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. ix 

ere it attain that elevation, part with such a proportion of its contents ; and this, 
too, without taking into account any unfavorable change in the temperature by 
which it might, and probably would, be accompanied. To a balloon like that of 
Vauxhall Gardens, containing about 80,000 cubic feet, this loss would amount to 
about 8,000 feet. Now, the average sustaining power of carburetted hydrogen, 
or coal gas, is about 36 pounds weight for every 1,000 cubic feet; consequently, 
the loss of power experienced in this slight ascent would be equal to 288 pounds — 
much more than would be lost by leakage from a good balloon kept inflated at the 
earth's surface in a week. Again, at the approach of night, upon the passage 
through clouds charged with vapor, or under the influence of a shower of rain, 
a large quantity of moisture becomes absorbed by the balloon netting and other 
apparatus, frequently to the extent of 200 or 300 weight, requiring an immediate 
discharge of ballast to that amount to prevent her being borne to the ground. As 
the morning approaches, or the influence of increasing heat begins to be felt, this 
moisture becomes dissipated, and there being no means of collecting or recover- 
ing the discharged ballast, the balloon, lightened of her temporary encumbrance, 
rapidly rises in the air, her contents of gas expanding on her course and render- 
ing its liberation necessary to prevent the consequences we have before described. 
These alterations continuing to operate more or less frequently — at least once in 
every twenty-four hours — it need scarcely be observed, must very soon put an end 
to her power, however originally great, and forcibly terminate her progress 
through the air. 

These reasons are plain, as I have stated, because of the manner in 
which aeronauts have managed and operated their balloons. Is it possi- 
ble to operate them so as to prolong their carrying ability ? This is a 
question which has long vexed those versed in air voyaging, and it is one 
which I am prepared, after a series of very careful experiments, to answer 
in the affirmative, and I may speak confidently of my ability to make a 
balloon voyage of a month's duration, sufficient, with a thirty-five mile 
breeze, to circumnavigate the globe. The experiments in which I have 
been engaged almost exclusively for the last two years have demonstrated 
to my satisfaction that it is not only feasible to construct a balloon that 
will maintain the bulk of its lifting power, but that it is also easily prac- 
ticable to keep it afloat and in transit for this length of time. 

The results of my experiments have been laid before a number of gen- 
tlemen of ample means in your city, and they have taken sufficient in- 
terest in the subject to place at my disposal the funds necessary to ena- 
ble me to continue my experiments until I shall have attained a result 
that will abundantly justify me in undertaking a trans-Atlantic voyage in 
a balloon. I have secured an eligible and convenient location at Man- 
hattan Beach, where I shall establish an aeronautic observatory during 
the coming season. I shall construct here a wooden enclosure, 35 feet 
high and 200 feet in diameter, for the purpose of affording my 
balloons and apparatus proper protection from the winds. I 
shall have two spheroidal balloons, each of a diameter of 65 
feet, and of a capacity of about 150,000 cubic feet of gas. I shall, of 
course, work but one balloon at a time, but shall provide the extra balloon 
in case of damage to the other. I shall construct my own gas works and 
inflate with hydrogen, which is far superior to common gas and has nearly 
double the lifting power. Thus equipped I shall be able to conduct cap- 
tive ascensions from the sea coast during the summer season, and make ob- 
servations on the state of the atmosphere and the prevailing direction of the 
winds from various altitudes. I shall use a cable 1,000 feet in length 
to elevate and lower the balloon, and this cable will be worked by a 
steam hoisting apparatus. It is my purpose to make these ascensions 
during both day and night, except when the weather prevents, and I shall 
be able to record a great variety oi observations and experiences which 
will be of incalculable use to me in the future. Thus equipped with ex- 
perience derived from actual experiments during a large number of as- 



X THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

censions made under every possible condition, I propose to fit out a 
balloon in which it is my intention to make the trans-Atlantic attempt in 
earnest. This effort may not be made until the Spring or Fall of 1880, as 
it will require several months in which to construct the proper apparatus, 
which will entail an air ship of double the size of those I shall use in my 
captive experiments. My observatory at Manhattan Beach I expect to 
have in thorough working order by the 15th of June next. 

Permit me to say, in conclusion, that I am a thorough believer in the 
system by which the Herald weather predictions are made, and that 
I expect to be able to demonstrate by my ocean voyage their accuracy, 
Professor Loomis to the contrary notwithstanding. 

SAMUEL A. KING, Aeronaut. 

Concerning this L letter the Herald editorially commented as fol- 
lows : 

The communication from the well known aeronaut, Professor King, 
which we print elsewhere, will revive interest in the question of transat- 
1 antic ballooning, which from time to time in the past has agitated all 
classes of people here. The hitherto insuperable difficulty of sustaining 
a balloon at a great altitude against the loss of lifting power by leakage, 
the increase of weight by absorption of atmospheric moisture, by contrac- 
tion at low temperatures, gradual loss of ballast, and so forth, Mr. King 
claims to have overcome. Having thus, as he believes, secured his abil- 
ity to keep up he proposes to attempt in due season to cross the Atlantic 
in the air. Certainly Mr. King has solved a very important factor in the 
problem if he can keep his balloon afloat for a month at a time. It is sig- 
nificant, of the hand-in-hand march of science that this experienced aeron- 
aut deduces from the continued successes of the Herald in predicting the 
arrival of storms on the European coasts the certainty of traversing the 
Atlantic on the same aeiial path as those atmospheric disturbances. What 
directs the storm will direct the balloon, since, as the Professor aptly 
says, the balloon is "the slave of the wind." A discovery like that, now 
so fully tested, of forecasting tne path of storms continually opens up 
still greater possibilities, and the establishment of aerial communication 
with Europe, fantastic as the thought has appeared to the thoughtless, is 
one that may well possess a fascination for the pioneers of science. Mean- 
time we are glad to learn that Mr. King has been placed in a position to 
conduct the necessary preliminary experiments. We shall watch the 
growth of his project with lively interest. 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 

The Captive balloons Pioneer and Atlantic axe constructed of the best 
Irish linen, and are rendered so absolutely impermeable as to hold their 
gas day after day without sustaining any appreciable loss. They contain 
each 144,000 cubic feet of gas, and each aerostat forms an immense 
sphere, the diameter of which is 65 feet. They have an ascen- 
sive force of 10,080 pounds, and the total weight of each balloon 
including netting, ropes and car, is 3,452 pounds. Each is furnished 
with a large valve at its crown and at the lower part, or neck. The up- 
per one can be opened by the aeronaut while seated in the car ; the 
lower one opens automatically to permit the escape of the gas when the 
balloon is too much expanded. 



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Xll THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

The globe is enveloped in a net of cords resting on a reserve net made 
of webbing. Terminating at its lower part, in a series of crows' feet, 
the network is attached by the intermediation of ropes to a metallic 
circle, capable of resisting in every direction a strain of 50,000 pounds. 

The wicker car, of oval form, is 36 feet in circumference. At one 
side of the car is a vertical groove extending in to the width of the 
seats, and in this groove fits the cable, a strong rope lyi inches in di- 
ameter, which is connected at its upper end to the balloon by the inter- 
mediation of a metal dynamometer, furnished with a vertical column of 
mercury that constantly indicates by its height on a scale the ascensive 
power of the balloon. One mounts to the car by means of a moveable 
footbridge, and twelve to fifteen persons can find places at each ascen- 
sion. 

The cable descends to the bottom of a cistern sunk in the ground ; 
it turns around a sheave of wrought-iron, mounted upon a wrought iron 
pendant, and then passes through a properly protected trench and over 
a system of rollers to a strong windlass, faced with hard wood and 
with arms and centre of iron, around which it is wound and unwound. 
The windlass is worked by a double engine of independent gearing, 
capable of winding in the cable at the rate of fully 350 feet per minute. 
The cable is 1,200 feet long. 

WEIGHT OF THE BALLOON. 

Below are given the weights of the different parts of the balloon : 

LBS. 

Cloth of the Balloon 1,980 

The two valves 78 

Netting 821 

The two rings 47 

The dynamometer 85 

The car and its cargo 526 

Total of fixed material 3.537 lbs. 

Cable, 1,200 feet 888 lbs. 

Total 4,425 

The total ascensional force of the gas contained in the balloon, filled to its 
utmost 10,080 lbs. 

Net ascensive force 5.655 

From which is to be deducted the combined weight of the aeronaut 
and passengers to give the actual net ascensive power of the balloon 
at each ascension. 

OTHER STATISTICS. 

Diameter of aerostatic sphere 65 feet 

Its circumference 204.20 feet 



xiv THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

Volume 144,000 cubic feet. 

Total height from the surface of the ground to the top of the balloon, rest- 
ing on the ground 95 feet. 

Circumference of the car. 36 feet. 

The dynamometer indicates up to 10,000 lbs. 

The breaking strain of the cable is 18,000 lbs. 

The capacity of the engine is 25 horse power. 

The capacity of the boiler is 30 horse power. 

The capacity of the gas works is 20,000 cubic feet per hour. 

The sand-bags weigh, filled, each 100 lbs. 

Diameter of amphitheatre 200 feet. 

Height of amphitheatre 35 feet. 

Quantity of linen used 8,776 yards. 

Number of stitches in each balloon 9,706,112 

Number of yards of sewing in each balloon 16,850 

THE CLOTH. 

Very many experiments were made before the material was selected. 
All available fabrics, from cotton cloth to the best silk, were subjected 
to every test applied in actual balloon service, and with many different 
kinds of varnish. The finest Irish linen was finally chosen as the best 
for the purpose. The balloon, from its crown to a little more than 
half way down, is doubled, the outer coating of the heaviest linen 
made. The inner lining and the lower half are of a lighter, but 
very fine material. The cloth was purchased of A. T. Stewart & 
Co., and shipped to a large hall on Lancaster avenue, in Philadel- 
phia, where it was cut and sewed. The place was admirably 
adapted for the purpose. The interior, about 130 by 65 feet, had 
been used for a dance hall, and its clean and neatly waxed floor 
greatly facilitated the work of construction. Here a deal table 108 
feet long and 6 feet wide was set up, and the cloth laid upon it in 
strips 24 thick, reaching from end to end. The material was first 
stretched very tightly both ways, to ensure its strength and prevent 
shrinkage, and then the pattern was laid on and the strips were cut 
out. These strips were then placed in the hands of the sewing women, 
of whom there were about fifty, each operating a Singer machine. 
They sewed the strips together, doubling them at the seams, and at 
suitable distances apart stays of linen of double thickness were sewed 
on transversely, the object being to secure greater strength and prevent 
ripping. These strips were united until they formed altogether eight 
segments, four of which, when put together longitudinally, repre- 
sented one-half of the balloon. The sewing was done with the best 
white silk and with the finest French sewing cotton. Nearly 9,000 
yards of linen were used in the construction of both balloons. 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. XV 

mak^s. The quality was of the best, and the size letter C, one ounce 
spools. Twenty-four pounds of this twist were used in sewing. The 
cotton was of the imported Fit de Lite brand, made with a peculiar 
left hand twist and of excellent finish and great strength. It was six 
cord and was furnished in 500 yard spools, No. 100 French, which is 
equal to No. 36 English. Of this 216 spools were used. Very nearly 
10,000,000 stitches of the machine were taken to complete the sewing 
of each balloon. 

When the segments of the balloon were joined together, the balloon 
being in two parts, each half was successively laid out on the floor and or- 
namented. For this purpose the best colors were selected and specially 
prepared. All unnecessary accession of weight was avoided, and no 
chemicals were used that might, by contact with the material, weaken 
it or injure its fabric. The design was prepared by a skilled artist and 
carefully laid out to scale. The whole surface was lined out with 
papier mache patterns, and great exactness was of course necessary in 
laying on the design. The black band containing the name is 12 feet 
wide, and each of the letters is 8 feet high. An appropriate medal- 
lion fills out the space not occupied by the letters. On The Pioneer 
Columbus is represented on his voyage of discovery, while on either 
side are allegorical representations of Europe and America, with a 
Boreas in profile. The medallion of The Atlantic represents, in an 
allegorical form, the voyage of the balloon across the ocean, and the 
aerostat's triumph over Neptune. 

VARNISHING. 

Meanwhile the varnish had been undergoing special preparation, a 
tedious operation, involving much time. The basis of this mixture 
was linseed oil, but it was associated with other ingredients, the whole 
according to a formula in the exclusive possession of Professor King, 
and constituting a coating which has been found to be far superior, 
in point of durability and impermeability, to any other yet applied. 
This varnish was sent in barrels to Manhattan Beach, and here the 
coatings four in number were applied, three to the inside and one 
to the outside. This operation occupied several days, as each coating 
required to be thoroughly dry before another could be applied. Fifteen 
barrels of varnish and naphtha were used. When the several coats 
had been applied the two halves of the balloon were joined together 
by sewing, and the seams thoroughly covered with varnish. The 
envelope was now complete. 

THE NETTING. 

The material used in the main netting was a cotton cord one-quarter 
of an inch in diameter. The breaking weight of this cord was 310 pounds, 



XVi THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING, 

abundantly ample when we consider that the whole net consists of 
more than 25,000 meshes, on which the strain is equally distributed. 
The weaving ot the net was done by sailors, weaving a mesh per- 
fectly tight, that will not slip in the least, and forms a knot that is 
flat and soft, and cannot wear the surface of the balloon. The work 
of making the net began by stretching a rope from one side of the work- 
room across to the other, and on this rope 250 loops or meshes were 
woven, constituting the top of the net. The meshes at this point 
were four inches across, when spread out as they lie on the surface 
of the balloon. From this point down the meshes increased in size 
with each row, until just below where they would cover the bal- 
loon at its greatest diameter they were sixteen inches across. At 
this point the net was divided into strips or fringes, each composed 
of a proper number of meshes, and gradually tapering down to 31 
ends, on which the entire strength of the netting was equally dis- 
tributed. To each of these ends was fastened a manilla rope one- 
half inch in diameter. These 31 ropes extended down and were 
firmly united to the concentrating ring below the neck of the balloon. 
In addition to the 31 strips or fringes mentioned, another row of 31 
ropes was attached to the netting at some distance above. To the 
ends of these, 31 one-half inch manilla ropes were attached for the 
purpose of securing the balloon to the 31 windlasses hereafter de- 
scribed. These last named ropes of course are necessary only to 
a balloon used as a captive. The total weight of the net proper, 
independent of the supporting ropes, is 417 pounds for each balloon. 
The cordage ol the captive balloon, is, however, far from complete 
with the network thus described. Balloons ordinarily have but one net ; 
but as a means of obviating all strain upon the main net when the bal- 
loon is secured to the earth, an extra netting has been provided for each 
balloon. This extra net or harness rests under the main net, and is 
made of cotton webbing, an inch and a half wide. The breaking 
strain of the webbing material is 310 pounds. The strips are sewed to- 
gether diagonally, and the meshes are made considerably larger than 
those of the main network. At its lower part the net is furnished 
with 19 ropes which fasten to the concentrating ring, thus consti- 
tuting a reserve net that can be used whenever desired to relieve the 
main netting from all strain upon it. The weight of the whole net- 
work is 821 pounds. 

THE VALVES 

are made of copper, and were attached when the two hemispheres ot 
the balloon were joined together. They are of exquisite workmanship. 
Their form is circular, and they are attached to the balloon by a col- 




THE UPPER VALVE. 




THE LOWER VALVE. 



XVlll THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

lar of leather, into which is sewed a ring of rope. The upper valve is 
36 inches in diameter, and weighs 53^ pounds. It has two lids at- 
tached by hinges to a centre piece. Five spiral springs of German sil- 
ver hold each lid firmly to the edges by means of a copper bar fastened 
to each side, and extending across the valve horizontally at a height of 
7 inches above the upper surface. The lids of the valve are covered at 
their edges with prepared sheepskin or meter leather, fastened to the lid 
with 158 brass screws, which are kept in place with nuts of the same 
material. The whole forms a perfectly gas-tight joint. 

To the upper valve was attached a cord which hangs down through 
the center of the sphere and through the lower valve to the car, where 
it is always within instant reach of the aeronaut. The opening of 
the lid of this valve would admit of the escape of all the gas contained 
in the balloon in a very short time. 

The lower valve is kept closed to prevent the unnecessary escape of 
gas and the admission of air. It is so arranged as to open automati- 
cally under very slight pressure from the gas within. It is 24 inches 
in diameter, and edged with leather held in position by 48 brass screws. 
It has one lid and three springs of German silver keep it closed. Near 
where the lid is hinged the inflating hose and the collapsing and valve 
cords enter the balloon. The weight of this valve is 25 pounds. 

THE DYNAMOMETER. 

This important adjunct constitutes a ponderous steel-yard, five feet 
in length, which enables the aeronaut to see at a glance just what the 
ascensive power of the aerostat is, and to note the variations from 
hour to hour and day to day, due to atmospheric changes, and to the 
loss of gas. It is made to resist a force of 25,000 pounds, and is 
marked to register 10,000 pounds. The instrument is in appearance a 
long, narrow cylinder, provided with a ring-bolt one inch thick at each 
end. The shell of the dynamometer is wrought of the best angle 
iron, cne-quarter inch thick. The scale of measurement is three feet, 
and the height of the whole apparatus is five feet. The internal 
construction consists of a heavy cylinder head, bored on its upper 
side n inch deep and of a diameter for the reception of a 6-inch 
piston, provided with sheet-packing to prevent leakage of the 
glycerine employed between the piston and cylinder-head. A iji 
inch diameter steel piston-rod connected with the piston projects 
through the cylinder-head and is provided with the large brass 
ring on its outer end for the reception of the captive rope : this 
piston-rod is packed with hydraulic packing to prevent leakage; 
when any strain is brought upon the piston by pulling upon the 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 



piston-rod the entire weight rests solidly upon a fluid without mo- 
tion, but pressure is exerted upon the fluid in 
proportion to the load, which furnishes a means 
of measurement by employing a mercurial column 
to balance the pressure exerted on the piston. 
The mercurial column then rises in the glass tube 
which the shell incloses in proportion to the pres- 
sure exerted, and is more sensitive to pressure, 
and will move quicker than a scale beam. 

The dynamometer was laid off by one of 
Reihle's heavy scale-beams, the heavy strain 
being exerted between 12 by 12 timbers, 15 feet 
high, and 4 feet between timbers. The cross-beams 
top and bottom were of similar size ; screw-jacks 
on the top timber held'in suspension the weighing 
beam, on the lower hook of which the instrument 
was suspended ; the bottom eye-bolt being secured 
to the bottom timber. When the beam was 
elevated by the screw-jacks a strain was ex- 
erted on the instrument, and weighed by it accu- 
rately. The instrument was marked accordingly. 
This was the completing act in constructing this 
compact instrument for automatically pointing 
instantly to the exact amount of strain exerted. 
The dynamometer weighs 85 pounds. The upper 
ring is secured to a rope iy 2 inches in diameter, 
which is attached by four smaller ropes to the 
main concentrating ring. To the lower ring of 
the steelyard the cable that holds the balloon 
captive is firmly fastened. 

THE CABLE SHEAVE. 

The cable sheave is placed in the exact centre 
of the inclosure. The supporting frame is made 
of the very best Ulster iron. It is mounted on 
an axis of double articulation, which permits 
it to turn in every direction to follow all the 
movements of the cable. This result is obtained 
by the movement of an universal joint, and by 
the rotation of its roller. The pulley is balanced by 
a counter-weight in such a way as to prevent any 
the dynamometer, disturbance of the established equilibrium. The 
sheave wheel measures thirty inches in diameter ; the entire apparatus is 7 




XX 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 



feet in length, and its weight is about 1,100 pounds. It is attached to 
the ground with thoroughly proven solidity, being bolted to two beams 
of wood, which in turn are bolted to two others, crossing at right angles, 
and all four imbedded in solid masonry. This masonry, circular in form, 
1 6 inches thick, and inclosing a well-like space five feet in diameter, 
was built upon a foundation or templet of beams, to which it is se- 
curely bolted, the bolts extending from the surface clear to the bottom. 
The best cement was used in its construction, and it is to all intent a 

huge solid mass of brick, 
seven feet in height and 
weighing 50,000 pounds. It 
was built on the surface, and 
after it was finished, the cen- 
tre was dug out and it was 
sunk until the required depth 
was reached, when the in- 
terior was concreted and ce- 
mented so that the bottom 
was made perfectly water- 
tight. The apparatus is sunk 
in the ground to such a depth 
that no portion of it is above 
the surface. By this means, 
||| the aerostat can be brought 
1 close to the earth and there 
fastened in case of a very high 
wind. 

THE CABLE 

designed for the captives was 
at first 1,200 feet long; but 
it stretches gradually by use 
and will finally gain nearly 
one-tenth in length. It was 




THE CABLE SHEAVE. 



ordered in duplicate from the New Bedford Cordage Company, who 
were instructed to make it specially, in the best possible manner, 
without regard to expense. It is made of the choicest selected 
manilla hemp, the fibre being exceedingly long and uniform. The 
strands are three in number, each consisting of 74 smaller strands, 
and are rope laid. Its diameter is 1 ]/ 2 inches, its weight is 888 pounds, 
and its breaking strain 18,000 pounds, as tested at the School of 
Mines, Columbia College. As it was manufactured, two insulated cop- 
per wires were carefully woven in with the strands, extending the 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 



XXI 



whole length of the cable, for the purpose of forming a telephonic 
connection between the aeronaut in the balloon and the engineer at 
the engine. 

THE AMPHITHEATRE, 

which surrounds the balloon, was provided as an effectual means of 
shelter against the violent winds that frequently prevail on the coast, 
and which, without this protection, would speedily wreck the aerostat. 
This inclosure is exactly circular in 
form, and stands 300 feet east of the 
Manhattan Beach Hotel. The hotel 
on the west, the bathing houses on 
the south, the picnic pavilion to the 
southeast, and the ice house and ser- 
vants' building to the north, all con- 
tribute to break the force of the wind, 
and render the shelter more perfect. 
The circle inclosed is one of 200 feet 
diameter. Fifty-two trusses, placed at 
equal distances apart, and planted upon 
firm foundations, rise to a height of 
thirty-five feet. They are very strongly 
built of spruce, with pine cross-pieces, 
and the entire framework is keyed, 
spiked, and bolted together. On the 
outside of these the sheathing is nailed, 
of smooth pine boards, tongued and 
grooved, and rising to the summit of 
the trusses. This forms a very strong, 
compact, inclosure. On the top a rail 
rests rounded and made perfectly 
smooth to prevent abrasion of the cable, 
in case the wind should deflect the bal- 
loon, when afloat, sufficiently near the 
horizon to cause the cable to rest upon 

the summit of the inclosure. Around IE CABLE _ EXACT SIZE . 

the interior, twelve feet from the ground, runs a gallery with a railing, 
in front and seats at the back. From this gallery — reached by broad 
stairs of easy ascent, and forming a delightful promenade — an admir- 
able view of the balloon and apparatus is obtainable. In the center 
of the inclosure a space 61 feet in diameter is reserved for handling 
the balloon, but surrounding this the rest of the interior is covered 
with a planking of spruce, for the better convenience of the spectators 




Xxii THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

Under the gallery is another row of seats for the convenience of 
visitors, and near the entrance are the offices of the manager, the aero- 
naut's room, and a reception room, and near the engine yard are 
sleeping apartments for the assistants. 

All of this part of the work was executed in a very satisfactory and 
workmanlike manner by Messrs. S. V. and S. T. Hollister, builders, ot 
Elizabeth, N. J. Over 300,000 feet of lumber and 5,500 pounds 
of nails, colts and spikes were used in constructing the amphitheatre. 
The exterior is neatly painted, 2,512 pounds of paint being required for 
the purpose. 

THE ENGINE YARD. 

Extending from the amphitheatre on the north side is a smaller in- 
closure, 40 by 80 feet in extent, surrounded by a fence 10 feet high. 
This contains the engine, boiler, windlass, gas works, coal bins, etc. 
A planked walk leads from the main inclosure to the apparatus in 
the yard, and the spectators have an opportunity of closely inspecting 
everything. Adjoining the engine is the eating house, a separate 
structure, comprising kitchen, dining, store and sleeping rooms. 

THE WINDLASS 

is placed in the engine yard at a distance of 125 feet from the pulley. 
It is 14 feet in length, and is provided with a double set of pinions 
and wheels, each of which is of ample strength for the purpose 
designed. The diameter of the windlass is 4 feet. The axle is of 
the best wrought iron, 5 inches in diameter. This axle supports 5 iron 
wheels, 3 feet apart. Around ihese wheels are firmly secured planks 
of maple, 5 inches thick and 8 inches wide, turned so as to form a 
perfect circle. The mounted windlass presents the appearance of 
a huge spool, the surface of which is creased with a spiral, into 
which the cable coils. There are around the windlass 100 spiral turns. 
At its extremity, the windlass is secured by bolts and screws to the 
large spur wheels. It is mounted upon two heavy metal bearings, 
supported upon strong beams securely fastened to masonry which 
extends down to the firm foundation of wet sand. 

The boiler is of the upright tubular form, eight and a half feet high, 
and three feet six inches in diameter. It has 85 two-inch flues, and is 
tested to a pressure of 150 pounds to the square inch by the Hartford 
Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company. Its capacity is 30 
horse power. This stands 10 feet behind the windlass, and its capac- 
ity is greatly in excess of the anticipated demands upon it. 

The engine, placed in front of the windlass, puts it in motion by the 
intermediation of toothed pinions, which act upon the spur 
wheels. It has two cylinders, and is arranged to work very rapidly. 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. xxiii 

The cylinders are of eight inches diameter, and have a stroke of ten 
inches. By the manner of construction of the engine, a dead centre is 
rendered impossible, and the movement is rendered perfectly steady. 
The engine has 25 horse power. 

An ingenious appliance provides the engine with an automatic check, 
which begins to work as the balloon approaches the extremity of its 
ascension. Little by little, the ascent is arrested, and without the rude 
movement which, in the long run, would damage the cable. This stop is 
made automatically, without any movement on the part of the engineer. 

This admirable apparatus is also provided with an automatic safety 
brake, which encircles a large brake wheel. By its action the movement 
of the windlass can be at any time instantly checked by very slight 
pressure upon a lever within instant reach of the engineer. 

The construction of the engine, windlass and pulley was executed 
by the well known firm of Otis Brothers & Co., manufacturers of ele- 
vators, of 348 Broadway. 

THE GAS APPARATUS. 

The cuts on pages xxiv and xxv give, on a scale of 3-16 of an inch to 
the foot, an exact and complete plan of the apparatus in which is gen- 
erated the gas that gives the captive balloon its ascensive power. 

The essential parts of the system are the four great cylinders, A, B, 
C, and D. These are each five feet in diameter and eleven feet nine 
inches in height. The cylinders B and D have each a wrought iron 
stack through which the products of combustion pass to the open air 
above. 

The shells of the cylinders are made of Pennsylvania charcoal ham- 
mered iron, and the heads are of the best flange iron, hand- 
riveted throughout. They are made in sections of about eighteen 
inches each in height, so that, if it is desired at any time to increase 
the capacity of the apparatus, one or more additional sections can 
readily be added, and at small expense. At the top and bottom of 
each section an angle iron ring is riveted, thus forming flanges, which 
are all drilled to a gauge. The joints are made with a preparation ot 
red lead and iron filings, and the flanges are then bolted together, 
making a completely air-tight cylinder of symmetrical appearance. 
Each of these cylinders is lined with refractory fire brick. A space is 
left between the shells and the back part of fire brick, which is filled 
with thoroughly burned and well sifted wood ashes, the best 
incombustible non-conductor of heat known ; its conducting 
power, according to the experiments of P6clet, being ,531 as 
compared with 4.83 for ordinary brick-work. The fire-brick was made 




c 



6 



m 



XXVi THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

especially for these works, and, with the kaolin with which the joints 
are made, weigh over 32,000 pounds. 

This great weight required solid foundations. The surface sand 
was dug away until there was reached the underlying perpetually wet 
sand, which is almost as hard and firm as clay. On this wet sand 
were laid two courses, crossed, of spruce timbers, 3 inches by 12 
inches, and on these solid and massive red brick piers were erected, the 
bricks being laid in hydraulic cement. Each pier or foundation is 5 
feet 4 inches square, and 5 feet 6 inches deep. 

Figure 1 gives a plan of the works, and Figure 2 shows a side 
view of the entire apparatus, except the gas holder, and the under- 
ground pipes leading therefrom to the vicinity of the balloon. 

The chambers A and C are called the " producers," while the 
chambers Band D constitute the "re-heaters." There is also at E 
a condensing chamber, 3 feet 6 inches wide, 2 feet 6 inches high, and 
10 feet 2 inches long. It is made of charcoal hammered iron, and 
provided wiih a similar foundation to the cylinders mentioned above. 
F is a substantial vertical steam engine, of 6 inch bore and 8 inch 
stroke, with an automatic cut-off, actuated by a very novel governor. 
G is a high-speed, noiseless rotary fan for supplying air to the pro- 
ducers and re-heaters. H is a thirty-horse power steam boiler, for 
supplying steam to the re-heaters, and to the vertical engine. 

As soon as the works were completed a fire was started in each of 
the producers A and C, and kept burning slowly for several days, so 
as to gradually dry the fire brick linings. This being accomplished, 
the works were ready for generating the hydrogen gas. The process, 
which is very simple when comprehended, though seemingly compli- 
cated at first sight, is as follows : 

A bed of fuel is built up in the producers A and C to a point a few 
inches below the outlet pipe a. The fuel may consist of a low grade 
of anthracite coal, or coal dust, or coke, or peat, according to the 
cheapness and convenience with which either can be obtained. The fuel 
in producer A is brought to an incandescent state by means of an air 
blast from the fan G, which enters by the wrought iron blast pipe (6 inches 
in diameter) at b, regulated by the valve c. This delivers the air, at a pres- 
sure of about 5 inches water column, under the grate bars, which are 
on a line with the centre of the ash door d. The combustion being 
rapid, carbonic oxide gas is generated in large quantities by the union 
of the oxygen of the air with the carbon of the fuel. Nitrogen gas is 
also disengaged, but being inert, no account of it is taken. The car- 
bonic oxide passes by the cast iron conducting pipe a, (which is 8 
inches in diameter), to the bottom of the re-heater B, which is filled with 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. XXV11 

a preparation of iron, and there burned, and, by contact with the gas, 
the iron is chemically changed and brought into a highly heated con- 
dition, the products of combustion passing off through the valve / and 
stack g to the open air. The letters hh show the location of peep 
valves, arranged with glass caps for protecting the eye, and through 
which, by turning the valve, the condition of the interior ot both pro- 
ducer and re-heater can be ascertained. 

The air blast to the re-heater is regulated by the valve i so as to 
produce perfect combustion of the carbonic oxide. When the tem- 
perature of the preparation has been raised to the proper point, the air 
blast valves c and i are closed, and also the valve /. The works are 
now air tight. Valve k is closed to prevent any more carbonic oxide 
gas coming over from the producer, and the lid / is laid off part way 
to allow the gases from the fuel to pass off. Steam at 90 pounds pres- 
sure is now introduced into the re-heater at points m m, being regulated 
by valve 0. By the aid of the super-heated preparation the hydrogen 
is disengaged and passes in large volume by the 8 inch conducting 
pipe p to the condensing chamber E, which is nearly filled with water, a 
constant stream running in at r and overflowing by pipe s to the 
hydraulic seal I, which also has a suitable overflow. The hydrogen 
gas being cooled and condensed in chamber E, as well also as purified 
of foreign particles mechanically suspended in it, now passes by the 
8 inch cast iron conducting pipe / to the holder, the end of the inlet 
pipe to which has the form of a goose neck, and dips into the water 
about two feet, its end and sides being also drilled full of X -mcri 
holes, so that a large surface of the gas is again exposed to the cooling 
action of the water. From the holder runs a delivery pipe eight inches in 
diameter in the shape of the letter S for 200 feet, about four feet below the 
surface and in contact with the wet sand. By this means the flow- 
ing gas is further cooled and dried, so that it enters the balloon in the 
best condition for the aeronaut's use. The delivery pipe is brought to 
the surface at a distance of about 30 feet from the balloon. A valve is 
here placed to permit or check the flow of gas, and a linen hose is 
attached to the mouth of the pipe and to the neck of the balloon when- 
ever a supply of gas is desired, uuu are three water column pressure 
gauges, connected by wrought iron pipes to the re- heaters and condenser. 
They serve to indicate the pressure in the different parts of the appar- 
atus, give warning of any derangement in the working of the process 
and also of the proper time for changing the valves. When this is in- 
dicated, the steam valve is closed, the valve /is raised, the valve k 
is opened, the lid / is removed, and more fuel thrown into the pro- 
ducer, when the lid is replaced and clamped into position. The air 



XXV111 THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

blast valves c and i are then opened and the gas making proceeds as 
before. While gas is being delivered from the re-heater B, the pro- 
ducer C and the re-heater D are going through the process of heating up ; 
and by the time the re -heater B has cooled off the re-heater D will be 
ready for a run of gas. Thus the sets are alternately making and 
so a continuous flow of gas is secured for the balloon. 

The works will produce over twenty thousand (20,000) feet of gas 
per hour, and the ease of operating them is such that a man and a boy 
are ' the only attendants required, and their time is by no means fully 
occupied. 

When a sufficient quantity of gas has been made, the fire can be 
banked up and the apparatus put on natural draft for a number of 
days, if desired, and when again needed can be making gas inside of 
an hour's time. 

There are many novel and interesting matters of detail in con- 
nection with the gas works, but it is not necessary to speak 
of them here, as our object has only been to briefly give a general 
idea of the apparatus and its product. The apparatus was furnished 
and erected by A. O. Granger & Co., engineers and contractors of 
Philadelphia. The construction is in every respect creditable to them. 

"THE DUTCHMEN." 

The visitor to the ampitheatre observes a series of windlassess surround- 
ing the balloon and secured to a frame-work of massive timbers sunk in the 
ground. The anchorage is of that construction commonly termed a "dutch- 
man." These windlasses are 3 1 in number and are placed at equal distances 
apart on the line of a circle, the center of which is the exact centre 
of the amphitheatre. This circle has a diameter 5 feet greater than that 
of the balloon, fully inflated. The office of the windlasses is to draw 
the balloon down close to the earth and there secure it whenever the 
wind is violent. The balloon inflated and in working order, with its 
car attached, rises to a height of — feet from the ground, and in case 
of a high wind, nearly the entire sphere would be above the level of 
the walls of the amphitheatre. To prevent the swaying of the aeros- 
tat in obedience to the pressure exerted by such a wind, the car is de- 
tached, the thirty-one ropes attached to the net work are made fast to 
the windlasses, which are manned by the assistants, and the balloon 
is thus lowered very quickly and easily a position of safety. This en- 
tirely new device for protecting the balloon was demanded by reason 
of the peculiarly exposed location selected on the border of the ocean. 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. XXIX 

THE CONCENTRATING RING. 

The concentrating ring, so styled because upon it is concentrated 
all the tension exerted by the balloon in one direction, and in the 
other by the weight ot the car and the cable, or anchor, is a hoop 
of tubular wrought iron one and one-half inch in thickness, firmly 
welded together. Its diameter is thirty inches and its weight is twenty- 
four pounds. Resting upon this is a ring of manilla rope of equal cir- 
cumference, and one and one-fourth inches in diameter. The car, net, 
and cable ropes encircle both rings. 

At a distance of three feet below the concentrating ring is another 
hoop of iron one inch thick, four feet in diameter and weighing twenty- 
three pounds. This ring serves to prevent too great an inclination of 
the ropes that sustain the car, and to render the car itself more firm. 

THE TRENCH 

through which runs the cable is 123 feet long, and deepens gradually 
until at the centre of the inclosure where it connects with the sheave 
anchorage its depth is five feet. 

THE TELEPHONE. 

A perfect telephonic connection with the balloon is secured by means 
of insulated wires woven in with the cable. This appliance'enables 
the aeronaut to communicate at any moment with the Engineer, and 
to transmit to him any requisite direction. 

THE SYSTEM OF ANCHORAGE. 

The place by which the cable sheave is rendered secure has al- 
ready been described. The accompanying sketch shows the sys- 
tem by which the Captive is anchored and protected against the 
storms and'squalls which are liable to spring up at any time. In the 
sketch, A indicates the position of the gas works ; B is the windlass ; J 
is the trench through which the cable passes ; C represents the wall 
of the amphitheatre ; D is one of the four windlasses to which the Cap- 
tive is attached when resting between £the ascensions. E is one of 
the 31 winches that are placed at equal distances apart surrounding 
the Captive for the purpose of drawing it down and firmly holding it 
during a high wind. 

INFLATION. 9 

The process of inflation was very difficult and delicate, and exceed- 
ingly interesting. The netting was placed over the balloon and joined 
at the crown to a circle of ropes surrounding the upper valve. The 
balloon, covered with the netting, was then spread out in the centre of 
the inclosure upon a ground cloth, to protect it, and the gas valve was 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF, KING. XXXI 

opened, a hose leading from the end of the gas pipe into the neck of the 
sphere. The network of the balloon was furnished with equatorial 
cords, which kept it in a regular position. When once the upper part 
of the sphere arose above the surface of the earth, sand bags were at- 
tached by hooks to the meshes of the net, entirely around the balloon 
and at equal distances apart. As the inflation progressed the bags 
were attached to the next lower line of meshes, and thus the balloon 
gradually lifted itself from the ground. Guy ropes fastened to the 
netting at different points to equalize the strain contributed to keep 
the sphere steady and immovable. The sacks of ballast numbered 
300, and, filled with sand, weighed each 100 pounds. The inflation 
of the balloon began on the evening of June 28, at 10 minutes to 9, 
and terminated on July 1, at 4:30 p.m., the process being accomplished 
with mathematical precision, and without the least accident. 

THE ASCENT. 

The balloon is fixed to the earth bv its four mooring cables. The 
assistants prepare to detach them. The foot bridge rests upon the 
rim of the basket, ten or fifteen voyagers traverse it, take their places 
in the car, the bridge is drawn back, the aeronant gives the signnl, and 
the aerostat rises with the lightness of a swallow. One mounts without 
trembl : ng ; the earth sinks into the distance, the picture below of the 
land and the ocean is presented to the eye, and the horizon of the neigh- 
boring fields soon opens into a gorgeous panorama in an immense 
circle of more than 60 miles in diameter. The whole coast line is 
visible, across to the north the Jersey shore, the land from Sandy 
Hook to away below Long Branch is seen, the threadlike course of 
the Shrewsbury, Red Bank, then Staten Island, the Kills, the bay 
beyond, Newark, Jersey City, the whole of Brooklyn and New York, 
and beyond the Hudson and the Palisades, while nearly due north the 
sail-studded waters of Long Island Sound stretch out beyond the eye's 
range. It is a glorious panorama that one contemplates at the 
extremity of the cable, but this panorama is always new and always 
changing in aspects, because the atmosphere is like a kaleidosocpe 
which transforms infinitely the same images. The city of New York 
appears in a thousand different graces. Sometimes it is gilded by 
the fires of the ardent sun ; again it is painted in a uniform tone which 
gives it an aspect more severe but not less grand ; again it disappears 
in the fog or haze, and then it resembles those great decorations in 
the theater which they soften by covering them with a muslin veil. 
An ascent servs to modify entirely one's ideas as to the topography of 
the country under view, no matter how familiar every location may be. 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. XXX1U 

The birds-eye view from this elevation gives the relative situation cor- 
rectly, and one is astonished to see how different the reality is from 
the map that had been drawn mentally. 

Beautiful, however, as is the ascent in the day time, it is far surpassed 
by the enjoyment of a night voyage. The air is calm, and the voya- 
ger seems to be mounting to a new life. Below, the lights of the hotels 
glimmer like so many stars ; away out on the expanse of water are 
seen the beacons toward which the mariner is steering ; there are the 
twin beacons on the highlands of Navesink. Yonder are the cluster- 
ing lights from the more thickly settled portions of Staten Island ; the 
vessels in the bay indicate their whereabouts by their colored signal 
lamps, and away yonder to the northwest is Gotham, while further to 
the right, but nearer, is Brooklyn. The noisy hum of a dense pop- 
ulation is not heard at this elevation, but all around is the stillness 
of the night amid which the grandly beautiful spectacle below is con- 
templated. The influence created is one never to be effaced. 

WHAT WOULD OCCUR IF THE CABLE SHOULD BREAK. 

Only a wind blowing a gale could in any case cause the rupture ol 
the cable. It is scarcely possible that any wind could arise so rapidly 
that the balloon would be unprepared for it and unable to effect a 
descent. But let us suppose that by a succession of unforeseen cir- 
cumstances such an accident should occur ; would it be likely that 
the voyagers, sent unexpectedly out into the air, would become lost ? 

An explosion of the balloon cannot occur while it is ascending ; 
the gas would escape automatically with such a rapidity that no 
amount of disturbing pressure could produce it. Everything is ar- 
ranged so that the aeronaut would have nothing to do but to or- 
ganize his descent. 

As Prof. King is thoroughly versed in the science of aeronautics, 
as he is also provided with grappling hooks, guide ropes, ballast, 
&c, he would be able to land with his passengers safely in case 
the Captive should break free. If the direction of the wind should 
be oceanward, and he should descend into the water, the basket 
in itself constitutes a life-raft, and only a few minutes could elapse 
before the rescue of the party by some one of the many passing craft. 

ADVICE TO AERIAL TRAVELERS. 

Those contemplating an air voyage in the Captive should choose 
the hours not when the seasons are serene and clear, but those mo- 
ments when the clouds are flying, disjointed and oddly shaped. 
However magnificent may be the view of the earth and the ocean, 



XXXIV THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. 

that of the celestial vault offers to an artistic eye a superior attrac- 
tion. The time is all too short to enable the beauties of the scene 
to be fully appreciated. 

But if the panorama, as it lies spread out from this distance, is 
preferred, it is well to study a plan of it in advance, in order that the 
different points and objects of interest may be the more easily rec- 
ognized. 

One of the most interesting features of the landscape is the border 
of the ocean, which winds like a serpent and trails its slow length 



far out to the west, northeast and south, while to the east the watery 
waste meets the horizon, and its surface is dotted with vessels. 

If the ascensions occur in a clear day, or at an early hour, the heights 
bordering the Hudson may be seen at a distance for many miles. 

The nocturnal ascensions also are very desirable, as the nights are 
unusually calm even when the days are stormy, and the spectacle of 
the illuminated metropolis is still more enchanting, if possible, than 
that of New York, bright with the mid-day glare. 

When the balloon is anchored the differences and changes of tem- 
perature can be easily noted. The expansion of the surface of the bal- 
loon makes it an approximate measure of the solar heat. No ther- 
mometer is more sensitive. 

The supplementary ropes which were necessary during the infla- 
tion of the balloon are often used in mooring it. But when they are 
loose the balloon sways gracefully to and fro, making isochronal oscilla- 



THE STEAM CAPTIVE BALLOONS OF PROF. KING. XXXV 

tions, from which can be calculated the rapidity and the direction of 
the wind. A balloon thus placed is the best of all anemoneters, and 
there is no doubt that even if it had a much smaller diameter it 
would still render invaluable services to meteorology. 

THE TESTS. 

The public may rely upon it that every part of the material used in 
the construction of the balloons and their apparatus was thoroughly 
tested and pronounced safe beyond peradventure, before it was accepted 
or used. Every measure that experience or ingenuity could suggest 
has been adopted to secure permanency and successful working. The 
materials used in the construction of the balloons, and to secure them, 
after having been approved by the engineer in charge of the construc- 
tion, were tested at the School of Mines, Columbia College. Every 
portion of the material was found to sustain a strain many times 
in excess of any anticipated requirement, even under extraordinary 
circumstances. 

The results of the Columbia College tests, conducted by Prof. Hut- 
ton, were as follows : 

Of the linen, forming the envelope, a piece 3 feet long and 2 feet 
in width, tested diagonally, sustained a tension of 390 pounds. 

A sample of the webbing used for the reserve net, broke at 310 
pounds. 

The cotton cord, of which the net was made, broke at 310 pounds. 

One of the 31 ropes, attaching the net to the concentrating ring, 
broke at 1,650 pounds. 

One of the 12 larger ropes, used to sustain the basket, broke at 3,600 
pounds. 

A piece of the rope of which the 12 smaller basket ropes are made, 
did not break until a strain of 2,200 lbs. has been exerted. 

One of the four ropes that hold the Captive when at rest was ad- 
judged to stand a strain of 11,000 lbs. The cable rope was certified 
by Prof. Hutton as capable of withstanding a tension of 18,000 lbs. 
Its perfection of construction has been admired by all those skilled in 
rope manufacture who have seen it. 

The above tests were made with Fairbanks' Standard testing ma- 
chine. 

The entire cost of this enterprise, above described, does not fall far 
short ot $75,000. 



THE CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 



Mr. Samuel Archer King- is a native of Philadelphia, and was born 
in 1828. Having - witnessed some of the aeronauts in his native city, he 
became interested in the subject, resolved upon attempting some- 
thing of the kind himself, and accordingly built a balloon with which 
he ascended from the Zoological Gardens at Fairmount, September 25, 
1851. He soon after made other ascensions, speedily attaining emi- 
nence in his profession. He made numerous voyages from PhLadel- 
phia and other places in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the 
early part of his career. In 1855 Mr. King made several fine ascen- 
sions from Wilmington, Delaware. June 16, 1856, he ascended from 
Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, and in descending was carried by a con- 
trary current of wind into some tree tops, where his balloon was torn 
to pieces, and he was dashed to the earth a distance of some forty 
feet. He was rendered insensible but fortuna'ely not much hurt. 

In 1856 and 1857 Mr. King made several ascensions from Provi- 
dence, R. I., and other places, including one from New Haven, Con- 
necticut, August 15. 1857. On this latter occasion he took up two 
gentlemen of that city in th° balloon Queen of the Air, which after- 
wards became famous in his ascensions from Boston. The balloon 
took a southerly direction, and to prevent it from going to sea was 
landed in Long Island S)und, off Stony Creek, the passengers being 
completely submerged at the first dip. It was subsequently brought 
to anchor on Governor's Island, the party having experienced no 
further damage than a good soaking. There was a somewhat singular 
incident in connection with this trip. At Douglas's Hotel, Stony 
Creek, a popular seaside resort, it was the custom to put up a comic 
bulletin every day for the amusement of the guests, detailing what was 
going to happen on that date. On this bulletin it was appointed that 
the balloon should come that way, land on Governor's Island (which is 
one of the so-called Thimble Islands), and that the passengers should 
be brought on shore by a particular yacht ; all of which predictions 
strangely enough proved true. During the year 1857 Mr. King also 
made ascensions from Norwich, Connecticut, and Lowell, Massa- 
chusetts ; and during the following year he paid professional visits to 



2 CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

Lowell, Mass. ; Manchester, N. H. ; New Haven, Conn. ; and Dover, 
N. H. ; besides making- further ascensions from Providence, R. I. A 
voyage from Paterson, made August 6th, was quite a remarkable one. 
Mr. King - was accompanied by Mr. Allen, a pupil of his, and after 
journeying from Paterson to New York, landed in Central Park. After 
having a short chat with the Gothamites, the voyagers again ascended, 
and this time landed near Hiram Woodruff's place, on Long Island. 

At the time of his New Haven ascension, September I, 1858, he 
availed himself of a favorable opportunity that presented itself, to 
make some experiments with the drag-rope, which Green, the English 
aeronaut, had contended could be of use as a guide. In starting from 
New Haven, Mr. King allowed seventy-five pounds of the rope to drag 
upon the ground, and as the balloon sailed along through the air, the 
rope rattled merrily over the house-tops and fences. As the balloon 
gradually became heated by the sun, its ascensive power was increased 
without discharging ballast, and by the time five miles had been tra- 
versed, the rope was lifted entirely from the ground and continued to 
be lifted until a height of two miles had been reached. After journey- 
ing nearly thirty miles, the drag-rope was detached and the aeronaut 
then continued about the same number of miles further. 

June 4, 1859, Mr. King made an ascension at Charlestown, Mass., 
landing in Belmont. On the succeeding Fourth of July he made an ascen- 
sion from Boston, in connection with the city celebration, which was 
the first of a series of engagements by the municipal authorities of that 
city July 4, 1869, Mr. King ascended from Boston Common with a 
party of gentlemen and alighted in Melrose. A large crowd of ladies 
and gentlemen there received him, and a long rope being procured, he 
treated some of the former to a bird's eye view of the village by moon- 
light. While the balloon was in the air with five young ladies and Mr. 
King, the rope broke and the aerial craft was carried several miles, 
when it was safely brought to earth again. 

The records of Mr. King's ascensions from the papers of the times 
when they were made are full of interest, and of themselves make a 
large book At Buffalo, July 4th, 1868, the company consisted of five 
persons, three newspaper editors being of the party. The ascension is 
described as most magnificent, but the balloon was carried out over 
Lake Erie, where, in the endeavor to navigate it by means of an under- 
current so as to reach the land, the car twice struck the surface of the 
lake. The aeronaut succeeded, however, in his efforts to reach the 
land, and then began a splendid voyage over mountain and valley, 
forest and farm. Once they descended and enjoyed themselves for 
half an hour with the people of the town ol Eden. Ascending again 
they finally touched the ground on the top of the Alleghany Moun- 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 3 

tains, at ii o'clock at night. As they struck the anchor was thrown 
out, but the balloon rebounded, passing - over a tall pine tree the top 
branches of which caught the anchor. The rope being comparatively 
short, they were not able to reach the ground ; yet, the night being 
dark and the nature of the ground beneath very uncertain, it was 
thought best to remain in the tree all night, but when daylight 
appeared, Mr. King cut loose from the anchor rope, and the balloon 
landed in safety on the ground. 

From Buffalo he went to Rochester, and on Thursday, September 
29th, he made a most beautiful ascension from Falls Field. His course 
lay a little to the north of east, passing over Irondequoit Bay and by 
the village of Webster. Descending he caught a counter current which 
carried him back again some miles, and he alighted finally two and a 
half miles northwest of Webster. 

TO THE SNOW REGIONS IN FIVE MINUTES. 

October 19th, 1869, he ascended from Rochester again, this time 
with his balloon, The Hyperion. The par y consisted of seven per- 
sons. The day was very unfavorable, the wind was boisterous, threat- 
ening clouds flew across the sky, flurries of snow were frequent, and 
the cold was searching. The ascent was made from in front of the 
Court House, among high buildings, and to clear these a great ascen- 
sional power was given to the balloon. It was a delicate operation to 
start under the circumstances with such an immense aerial craft, but 
one bound cleared it of all obstructions. Not less than fifty thousand 
persons witnessed the ascension, in spite of the disagreeable weather. 
In four and a-half minutes, although gas had been discharged 
from the valve, they entered a snow cloud. They traveled at the 
rate of about forty miles an hour ; the cold was intense, night 
came on and they were in the midst of a driving snow storm. The 
weight of snow gathering on top of the balloon drove them to the 
grcund, and they were forced to make a landing in the squall. They 
struck violently in an open field, the anchor did not hold, and the 
balloon bounded over a piece of woods, alighting on the other side. 
Here the anchor held for awhile, the gas escaping from the valve at the 
same time. Unfortunately, in the excitement, two of the party in some 
way got out of the basket, and the balloon thus lightened broke loose 
and bounded upon a side hill and at last was driven against a tree, a 
huge rent being made in the machine so that the gas escaped almost 
instantly. They had landed in the town of Cazenovia, three miles 
from the village of that name. From Rochester Mr. King went to 
Atlanta, Ga., where he made a fine ascension, December ioth. He 
was accompanied by Dr. Hape of that place. They traveled north 



4 CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

about forty miles and alighted in a backwoods settlement. In this place 
scarcely any one had ever heard of a balloon, and a great many 
were terribly scared. Before they left the vicinity they heard numer- 
ous stories of how the inhabitants had been frightened. 

There were a number of illicit distilleries in the neighborhood, and 
the people seeing the aeronauts when they were seeking for a landing- 
place, took them for revenue officers looking for such concerns, and 
went for their guns in double quick time, but the balloon did not wait 
for them. A number of boys going home from a fishing excursion, 
threw away their fish and ran for dear life. One man going home from 
mill with a bag of meal on his shoulder, dropped the bag and never 
stopped running till he reached his house. A large family, consisting of 
a mother and her daughters, living where the balloon descended, were 
dreadfully alarmed. The old lady began to pray and the daughters to 
scream. A farmer who was not scared, hearing the noise, went to 
see what was the matter. The old lady cried out : "Come here, Mr. 
Martin ! come here, the world is coming to an end ! I know it is ! and 
I am glad that I have lived to see the day." 

IN A BURSTED BALLOON ONE MILE HIGH. 

After this ascension Mr. King leased the balloon to Dr. Hape, 
who was anxious to make an ascension alone. The time set for 
the ascent was New Year's Day, January I, 1870. Mr. King was 
present at its inflation, and superintended its management. As 
soon as the car had been attached to the balloon, the doctor got 
inside, and, before the preparations for the start were com- 
pleted, suddenly gave the word to "let go." Mr. King was at the 
time some distance from the car getting more ballast, and was in 
consequence unable to prevent the premature ascent. There should 
have been at least two hundred and fifty pounds more of sand in the car 
to prevent its rising too rapidly. As it was, the balloon shot upward 
with such great velocity that the spectators became alarmed, and gath- 
ering around Mr. King, begged to know what would be the result. He 
informed them that unless the doctor should have the forethought to 
open the valve and allow a large quantity of gas to escape the bal- 
loon must burst from the sudden expansion of the gas; and, sure 
enough, when it had scarcely attained the height of one mile, it was 
suddenly rent from top to bottom, the gas was gone in an instant, and 
the balloon descended with great rapidity. The audience gazed at the 
sight with blanched countenances, and could not be convinced that the 
poor doctor would not be dashed to pieces. Yet within fifteen minutes 
— mounted on a policeman's horse — he was riding back through the town 
at full gallop. When the balloon burst it formed itself into a parachute, 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 5 

and thus met with a sufficient amount of resistance in falling through 
the air to save the voyager from any serious damage. 

February 9th following, Mr. King ascended from Augusta, Ga., sailing 
in a direction north of east. Crossing the Savannah River into the State 
of South Carolina, he continued his voyage a distance of one hundred 
and thirty miles, and after passing over the Santee Swamp, in de- 
scending, his balloon was caught by the limbs of a tall pine tree and 
torn to pieces, the rotten limbs giving way, precipitating the aeronaut 
a distance of fifty or sixty feet to the ground. The distance was not 
sufficiently great to allow the torn balloon to form itself into a para- 
chute, and consequently the fall was a severe one, though not so hard, 
perhaps, as if he had fallen the same distance without the balloon ; 
he was badly bruised, but had no bones broken. March 10th 
following, our aeronaut made another ascension from Augusta, land- 
ing near Bath, S. C. On the 5th of May, the same year, Mr. King as- 
cended from the city of Charleston, S. C. He was accompanied by 
Walter Steele, of that city. They sailed in a northeastly direc- 
tion along the coast, and were over the Wando river most of the time. 
They finally landed twenty-three miles from the city in a rice field. 
Coming nonh again on the following 4th of July, he made another 
ascension from Buffalo with a party of five persons, and after a pleas- 
ant voyage landed in the town of Newfane, about three miles north of 
Lockport. August 28th, an ascension was made by Mr. King, at 
Rochester, New York, in The Aurora. He was accompanied by 
Mayor Briggs, and after being up fifty minutes landed in a field one-half 
mile south-west of Parma Centre. September 5th Mr. King ascended 
from Newburgh, N. Y., and descended at Westport, Conn. His descrip- 
tion of the voyage is charming. He had a magnificent view of the 
Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and the surrounding country. New 
York City was plainly visible, as well as the Jersey shore, Long Island, 
and the ocean beyond, and all, or nearly all, of the State of Connect- 
icut. After descending, the gas was retained in the balloon until 
noon of the next day, and the evening and morning were employed 
in making captive ascensions, by which a number of the inhabi- 
tants of the place were enabled to enjoy a partial balloon ride. 
September 14th, from the Fair Grounds at Barton, Vt., Mr. King 
voyaged across the State of New Hampshire, and landed near 
Swift river in the State of Maine. September 30th he went up 
from the Fair Ground at Troy, in a pouring rain and landed in the 
town of Guilderbrand, Albany county, N. Y. October 5th, 1871, Mr. 
King made an ascension from Plymouth, New Hampshire, in his new 
balloon, The Star Spangled Banner. Upon taken an observation 
four minutes after leaving the ground it showed that the balloon was 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

2,771 feet above the level of the sea, or half-a-mile above Plymouth. 
Jn a few minutes it headed directly for the White Mountains, having 
reached an altitude of 3,959 feet. Campton Mountain was passed over 
when the balloon was 4,870 feet high ; and Whiteface Peak was left 
far below, the balloon at this point reaching a height of 6,144 feet. 
The air ship descended safely at Bridgton, a distance of forty-three 
miles from Plymouth. October 14, he ascended from Unionville, 
N. Y., taking with him as compan'on Mr. E. M. Hanforcl of 
that place. They landed afer an exceedingly calm and pleasant 
voyage, near Warwick, N. Y. On the 24th of the same month Mr. King 
ascended from Middletown, N. Y. His course lay to the North East. 
He landed late in the evening at Millerton on the Harlem railroad. A 
large portion of the voyage was made in the darkness, but before he 
landed a brilliant display of the Aurora Borealis lighted up the atmos- 
phere and the country beneath him. November 24th ( Thanksgiving 
day) an ascension was made from Ellenville, N. Y., in which Mr. King 
was accompanied by Mr. A. B. Deming, of Middletown. They de- 
scended at Norwalk, Connecticut, having made the distance of 75 miles 
in an hour and twenty minutes. June 17th, 1871, on the occasion of 
the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Mr. King and Mr. Luther 
L. Holden, of the Boston Journal, ascended from Charlestown, Mass. 
The wind bore them off in a northeasterly direction toward the ocean, 
but by watching the currents of air, they were enabled to change their 
course and finally effected a landing in East Kingston, New Hamp- 
shire. This was the seventeenth time that he had been accompanied 
by Mr. Holden. On the 4th of July following, Mr. King ascended from 
Chelsea, Mass. 

OVER THE OCEAN. 

There was a dense fog prevailing at the time, and in a few 
seconds he was lost to view. He rose above the fog, and re- 
mained above it several hours ; he knew by the various sounds that he 
heard, that he was travelling inland, and once he came down into the 
fog and talked with people below. He could only hear the voices, and 
they could not see the balloon. During the conversation he succeeded 
in ascertaining his whereabouts ; he was then over North Chelsea and 
the ocean. It was past eleven o'clock at night when he effected a safe 
landing in the darkness and fog, six miles northwest of Lowell, Mass. 

RESCUED AT SEA. 

July 13, 1872, an ascension was made by Mr. King at Boston, when 
the balloon was carried out over the ocean nearly two miles. Upon 
signalling to a yacht the guide rope was taken on board and made 



p 



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-:-- wmmesmsgammmm^ 



II 



.>;■::!! 



: : -,a- : .':■• 



8 CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

fast to the mast. By thus having- a rudder at command, the balloon 
aided the yacht and the latter helped the balloon, one furnishing the 
steerage and the other acting as a vast sail. In this manner Mr. King 
landed safely on the beach, forming a pleasant conclusion to what 
threatened to be a perilous adventure. 

September 10, 1872, Mr. King made an ascension from Schenectady, 
New York. 

A WONDERFUL VOYAGE. 

On the 26th of Sept., 1872, Mr. King made a notable voyage in com- 
pany with Mr. Holden. The ascent was made from Plymouth, N.H. The 
balloon used was a small one, having a capacity of only twenty thousand 
cubic feet, and at the time of its departure, it was not wholly filled 
with gas, probably not more than three-quarters full. The buoyancy 
was, however, much greater than the common illuminating gas would 
have imparted, as hydrogen gas, manufactured on the ground by Mr. 
King, was used in the inflation. It was eighteen minutes past four in 
the afternoon when all connection with the earth was severed, and the 
balloon quickly winged its way towards the thick black storm-clouds 
that were drifting directly towards the heart of the mountain region 
on the verge of which the town of Plymouth lies. Entering the clouds, 
and for a long time journeying in them, the adventurous Voyagers passed 
through a series of strange experiences. Once they seemed to be in a 
grotto with walls of clouds on every side, while the gleams of the set- 
ting sun found their way to the hidden regions beneath and lighted up 
the floor of the weird place with a strange, red glare. After sailing 
through these silent regions at a varying height of from 9,000 to 1 1,000 
feet, the balloon was suffered to descend to within 6,000 feet of the sea 
level. A strange sight met the gaze of the astonished balloon travelers as 
they passed below the clouds. They were in close proximity to the high 
mountain peaks, and below was a deep black chasm, from the recesses 
'of which issued the gentle music of a cascade. The bleak mountain 
tops, overspread by an inky pall, towered around them in awful 
grandeur. 

It was not yet the hour of sunset, but the dense and murky clouds 
threw an almost midnight blackness over the scene. A few pounds of 
sand were thrown out — the first that had been expended — and the 
balloon cleared the peaks and passed far beyond them before Mr. King 
and his companion realized that they were drifting at the rate of fifty 
miles an hour towards the great wilderness of Maine, which was al- 
ready spread out before them. They flew across the Androscoggin 
Valley, and soon after six o'clock found themselves drifting rapidly 
over Umbagog and the string of oth°r lakes which stretches out over 
the Maine border from the New Hampshire line, The balloon had 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 9 

taken a direct northeast course and was making for the very heart of 
the great Maine woods. Mr. Holden continued to take frequent read- 
ings of the barometer and thermometers until the gathering gloom 
rendered it impossible to discern the fine divisions of the instruments. 
At six minutes past six o'clock the recorded altitude was 5,619 feet, 
and the temperature 46 degrees, the humidity having reached the sat- 
uration point. Lights, some of them marking the camps of lumber- 
men or hunters, were seen in the ear.y stages of the long, weary night, 
but the denizens of earth were too distant or too much frightened to 
1 eed the hallooing of the belated aerial travelers who were flying over 
their heads. The situation began to grow serious. A forced descent 
in a trackless forest, an hundred miles or more from human habitation, 
wi h a scanty stock of provisions and without firearms or fishing-tackle 
with which a fresh supply might be obtained, was among the probabil- 
ities. Mr. King, however, was not lacking in expedients. He had 
strong hopes of keeping the balloon up until after daylight, and if he 
failed in this attempt he would tear up the balloon, and, encasing the 
wicker basket, construct a boat that might float its two passengers 
down a favoring stream. Meanwhile the balloon was borne along in 
the storm, at times in the rain which found its way down the sides of 
the envelope and would have drenched the occupants of the car 
through and through, but for the protection afforded by an umbrella 
spread in the hoop above their heads, and again in the 
clear, cold moonlight above the sea of clouds. At times 
the balloon probably attained at altitude of nearly three miles, 
as the cold was intense and there were felt all the effects of great eleva- 
tion, and at other stages of the journey it was found necessary to keep 
out a sharp watch ahead for mountain peaks, as a sailor would for 
breakers, to prevent running ashore. For hours the balloon coursed 
its way over a wholly unknown region and in an unknown direction, 
for the compass could not be studied more than the other instruments. 
The only sounds heard were the ceaseless falling and plashing of the 
countless forest streams, the pattering of raindrops upon the surface of 
the balloon, or the reverberations of their voices from some neighbor- 
ing hillside. The voyagers indulged in the grim humor of holding 
converse with the imaginary individual below. " Are we in Maine ?" 
they asked. The answer came back with distinctness "in Maine" 
— which wasn't true, for at that particular time the baLoon must have 
been floating over some portion of the wilds of Canada. In the dark- 
est and most dismal watches of the early morning — probably between 
three and four o'clock — a new and appalling sound broke upon their 
ears. It was the solemn, measured breaking of the waves upon the 
beach. All attempts to make it seem like the murmur of a brook or 



IO CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

the merry music of a mountain cascade failed utterly, and the benight- 
ed voyagers realized, after the sound had faded away wholly, and 
solemn, deathly silence reigned, that they were drifting out to sea in 
the darkness and fog, with naught to sustain them above the cold 
waves except a wicker-basket and a gas-bag, whose power must soon 
be spent. And where were they ? Off the coast of Maine probably, 
but they knew not. And would they fall in with some passing vessel? 
They might — and then they might not. Espec'ally was the latter horn 
ot the dilemma more likely to be taken if the fog continued. Thus 
they argued with themselves and with seeming fate. Preparing the.r 
minds for the worst, yet abandoning not a whit of their courage or 
presence of mind, they decided to descend and ascertain the true state 
of things below them. Mr. Kmg pulled the valve-cord for the first 
time in the long night, and the balloon slowly descended from its 
lofty height. Its inmates, as they found themselves surrounded by a 
dense, damp fog, put themselves in readiness for a momentary plunge 
beneath the cold waves ; but it did not come. The •' drag-rope " did 
its duty splendidly and kept the air-ship some feet above the surface, 
while it whisked through the wa'er at a terrible rate. This, state of 
anxiety and suspense continued tor the better part of a half-hour, when 
a strange and welcome sight suddenly burst upon the eyes of the 
watchers. It was a line of trees along the shore, and the misty mantle 
that overhung the sea seemed rent asunder as it was reached. In a 
moment more the rope was dragging over the tree tops, and the voyagers 
were safely delivered from a watery grave. It was thought that the bal- 
loon had crossed an arm of the sea to an island or some outstretching 
cape, and Mr. King deemed it the safest course to keep near the surface of 
the ground. A brief halt was made under the shelter of a high hill, 
the drag- rope being suffered to lay its length among the trees, but 
a freshening breeze endangered a contact with neighboring spire-like 
firs and spruces, and sand was thrown out to extricate the balloon from 
the threatened entanglement. As the balloon arose the mournful 
cadence of the breakers was again heard, but this time Mr. King took 
good care that he did not pass beyond them. It was now nearly five 
o'clock, and the increasing morning light enabled the weary travelers 
to note both the time and their direction. They were floating in a 
south-west direction, and away from a great expanse of water. They 
had evidently dropped into a different current, and it was this same 
lower current which had returned them safely to shore when they had 
previously found themselves over the water. While there were yet thin, 
fleecy clouds below them, they descried, partly through the vapory 
formations and partly beyond them, a straight white line. It was at 
first believed to be a fence, than a road, and it proved at last to be the 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. II 

cutting for a projected railway. The balloon was soon brought to a 
mooring, but there were interminable woods on all sides, and a descent 
among the tree-tops was unavoidable, unless the aeronautic voyagers 
went farther and fared worse. At the surface, however, there was no 
great amount of wind, and it was not a very difficult matter to secure 
the balloon by tying it to the branches of the trees, the passengers find- 
ing their way to terra firma down a thirty feet stretch of rope. Once 
down they set out to find the much-coveted road, and the compass was 
brought into requisition to enable them to navigate their way out of the 
woods. Once out and among civilized beings, they were not a little 
amazed to find that they had been dancing about the borders of the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Their landing place was near the little village 
of Sayabec, on the line of the contemplated Inter-Colonial Railway, 
in the lower part of the County of Rimousky, three hundred miles be- 
low Quebec. The balloon had been in the air twelve hours and forty-two 
minutes, and during this time it had traveled nearly six hundred miles. 
Its course from Plymouth was directly north-east. The most remarka- 
ble part of the whole voyage lies in the fact that it was performed by 
two persons in a small balloon, and with a trifling waste of either gas 
or ballast. At the end of the journey fully one-half of the two hun- 
dred and twenty-five pounds of ballast remained intact, indicating a 
loss of considerably less of its buoyancy than two thousand cubic feet 
of hydrogen gas would furnish. Had the voyage been extended, the 
balloon might possibly have been carried to the shores of Labrador. 

VOYAGES OF THE BUFFALO. 

In 1873 Mr. King constructed his largest balloon up to that time 
The Buffalo, and made his first ascent in her on the 16th September 
from Buffalo, in the presence of about 150,000 people. With him 
ascended four journalists. The balloon had a capacity of 91,000 cubic 
feet, and its car had seats for nearly twenty persons. After a pleasant 
voyage, which might have been greatly extended, the balloon was 
anchored for the night a short distance from Corning, Steuben County, 
and the following day Mr. King continued his aerial travels as far as 
Oxford, in Chenango County, a distance of nearly three hundred miles 
in all. 

On September 25th, 1873, Mr. King ascended again from Plymouth, 
N. H., and passed over the White Mountains, at an altitude of 18,950 
feet, or nearly three miles above the mountain peaks. 

INFLATES THE GRAPHIC BALLOON. 

In the fall of 1873. Mr. King was employed by the managers of 
The Daily Graphic to dispatch their transatlantic balloon, which 



12 CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

Messrs. Wise, Donaldson and Steiner, had successively endeavored to 
inflate, but without success. This balloon, the second largest ever con- 
structed, held over 700,000 cubic feet of gas, and in addition to the 
passengers, and a most ample store of provisions, clothing and other 
accessories, carried a sea-worthy boat that weighed upwards of a ton. 
Mr. King successfully inflated this monster ship, and she was dispatched 
in a gale of wind blowing due east, on the morning of October 6th, 
1873, her passengers consisting of Washington H. Donaldson, the 
aeronaut in charge, Alfred Ford, The Graphic correspondent, and 
George Ashton Lunt, of Boston, as navigator. The sight was a grand 
one, as the balloon shot out of the enclosure and rapidly arose. It kept 
in sight for nearly an hour, finally disappearing at a point nearly due 
east from the point of departure. The balloon was driven almost as 
far as the eastern end of Long Island, when under the influence of a 
contrary current it was carried northward over Connecticut, across a 
portion of Massachusetts, and finally descended in a severe storm, 
during which the passengers landed in great peril, at New Canaan, in 
the north-western part of Connecticut, having covered a distance of 
nearly 500 miles. The Graphic balloon was a remarkable structure 
as to strength, and was built at heavy expense. Had it been in 
charge of a more experienced navigator it would undoubtedly have 
made a much longer voyage. It was by far the largest balloon ever 
built in America. 

On Saturday, July 4th, 1874, Mr. King made his second ascent in 
The Buffalo. 

The balloon rose from Buffalo at six P. M. and sailed southeast. It 
passed over the end of Lake Erie, over Erie and Cattaraugus counties, 
and then bearing towards the eastward passed over the Maryland 
line, a line a little west of the Susquehanna river. It continued 
thence over Newcastle county, Del., Delaware river, just above its 
mouth, landing in Salem county, New Jersey, at seven A. M. Sunday. 
The voyage was over five States — Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, 
Delaware and New Jersey. The point of landing was 350 miles irom 
the point of departure, but the distance traversed by the balloon was 
about 400 miles. 

Mr. King's next ascension was in The Buffalo from Cleveland, 
Ohio, September 5, 1874. The balloon ascended from the Public 
Square at 11 o'clock in the forenoon, and at once drifted out over Lake 
Erie. Rising higher, the \oyagers reached another current of air and 
began drifting towards the centre of the lake, instead of to the northwest, 
as thsy had anticipated. There was a fair prospect of reaching Buffalo, 
and their course was continued for a hundred miles or more, almost 
contrary to the direction of the lower current of wind. About 3 P. M. 



CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 1 3 

the balloon was lowered into this current, and the voyage was continued 
to the northwest with the aid of the drag rope, the passengers being a 
portion of the time not more than fifty feet from the water. The shades 
of night were gathering as they crossed the Canadian shore near Point 
aux Pines. Tnis voyage terminated at u P. M. in Michigan, about 
60 miles north of Detroit. The voyagers were eight hours over Lake 
Erie, and afterwards crossed Lake St. Clair, making a journey in all 
of 480 miles. 

September 18, 1874, Mr. King made an ascension from Erie, Pa., in 
The Cloud Nymph. After being up two hours and a quarter, swayed 
backwards and forward by contrary currents, the balloon descended in 
a field six miles from the city. 

October 7, 1874, Mr. K:ng made an ascension from the Fair Grounds 
at Akron, Ohio, in his balloon, The Cloud Nymph. After passing over 
Cuyahoga Falls he landed near Auburn, Geauga County, Ohio, ten 
miles from the railroad station. 

July 5, 1875, he made his second ascension from Cleveland, in The 
Buffalo, landing at Hebron, Potter Co., Pa. 

July 24, 1875, Mr. King made an ascension at St. Louis, Mo., in 
The Cloud Nymph, and on the next day he ascended from the same 
place in The Buffalo. 

IN THE MIDST OF THE LIGHTNING. 

August 4, 1875, Mr. King ascended in his balloon Cloud Nymph 
from Burlington, Iowa. At the height of 3,000 feet the air ship be- 
came enveloped in storm clouds and the lightning flashing in every 
direction placed the intrepid aeronaut in an extremely dangerous po- 
sition. The gas in the balloon expanded with such force as to dnve it 
down through the open neck in such quantities as to nearly suffocate 
the voyager. He opened the valve at the top of the balloon and endeav- 
ored to get out of the way of the escaping gas. After being tossed 
about for twenty minutes, rain began to pour down in torrents and the 
balloon descended to a dense forest where it went crashing through 
the tops of the trees. The aeronaut threw his weight on the collaps- 
ing cord and the gas escaped, the balloon and net work spreading over 
the adjoining trees. After a walk of a mile a house was reached and 
assistance was procured. Mr. King then found that he had alighted 
two miles south-east from Olena, Henderson County, Illinois. This 
was one of the most dangerous, and at the same time, interesting voy- 
ages ever experienced by him. 

October 9, 1875, Mr. King ascended from Erie, Pa s , and reached a 
height of two and a-half miles, passing a mile above the clouds. 
After skirting the borders of the lake he descended at Union City, 



14 CAREER OF MR. SAMUEL A. KING. 

On July 4, 1876, he made an ascension from Boston Common 
in the presence of upwards of 30,000 people, using his large bal- 
loon Buffalo, and accompanied by seven persons. The balloon rose 
to a height of 3,000 feet, and descended upon a farm in Essex county, 
twenty-two miles from Boston. 

On the 4th of August, 1876, at 4.50 P. M., Mr. King made an ascent 
in The Buffalo trom the Centennial grounds, Philadelphia, with eight 
passengers, in the presence of an immense assemblage. The 
balloon traveled all night, moving to the eastward. At 7 A. M. 
the party rose to a height of three and a half miles, and the sun could 
be seen shining upon clouds two miles below. The balloon cast a 
shadow on the clouds, throwing as it fell a series of concentric rings of 
rainbow colors. The phenomenon of the aureola was produced in its 
most gorgeous form ; the rings numbering four and sometimes five, 
and shining with intense brilliancy. At 9 o'clock the voyage termi- 
nated at Salt Meadows, Middlesex Co., New Jersey, close to Staten 
Island. 

On August 10th, four days later, a second ascent was made from the 
Centennial Grounds at 4.50 P.M. The party numbered six passengers. 
At eight o'clock, P.M., a landing was effected at Marlborough, forty- 
three miles distant. During a portion of the trip the drag-rope, which 
touched the ground, caused the balloon to follow the course of the rail- 
road for some miles, simply by its pressure against the telegraph wire. 
The wind was very gentle, but freshening later, the rope was drawn 
clear of the telegraph, and the balloon afterwards floated directly with 
the wind. 

February 13, 1877, Mr. King ascended from Memphis, Tenn., in his 
balloon King Carnival, which was built expressly for the occasion. 
The balloon rose gracefully and floated over the city in a south-west- 
erly direction and gradually disappeared from sight. After going 
twelve miles Mr. King descended as darkness was approaching at 
Rossville and returned to Memphis. As his return was not generally 
known, and the balloon when last seen was proceeding in the direc- 
tion of the great swamps, fears were entertained for his safety, and 
several papers published articles predicting that the aeronaut had 
been lost. In the meantime Mr. King was quietly sleeping at the 
hotel with his balloon safely housed. 

April 3, 1877, Mr. King ascended in The King Carnival balloon 
from Nashville, and landed in Sumner County, Tennessee. ' 

June 18, 1877, he ascended from Nashville, Tenn., at 5 P. M., 
with Dr. A. C. Ford, of the United States Signal Service, and five 
others. After reaching an elevation of 6,300 feet, a landing was effected 
at 7.18 P. M. at Gallatin, 26 miles distant. Here the balloon was 



CAREER OF MS. SAMUEL A. KING. 15 

moored for the night. At 8 the next morning three of the party em- 
barked for another trip. At 12.20 P. M. the voyage terminated in a 
rapid descent from an elevation of 17,000 feet, three miles from 
Taylorsville. 

OVER LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 

July 4, 1877, Mr. King made an ascension from Chattanooga, reach- 
ing a height of one and three-quarter miles. On this trip he crossed 
Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. 

August 30 1877, M r . King made an ascension from the International 
Exhibition Grounds, Philadelphia, in The Buffalo. The ascent was 
witnessed by the Governors of neirly all the States and Territories, 
who were visiting the Exhibition. The balloon landed safely on a farm 
two miles from Absecon, N. J., about sixty miles from Philadelphia. 

On Thursday, September 6, 1877, he made an ascension from 
Rutland, Vermon f , in his balloon Snowflake, in the presence of 
a large assemblage. After ascending nearly two miles and remaining 
up two hours and a-half above the clouds, The Snowflake descended 
within a short distance from the place whence it arose, affording the 
same spectators the rare opportunity of witnessing both its ascent and 
descent. 

June 21, 1878, Mr. King ascended from Trenton, N. J., with one 
companion. After reaching a height of a mile and a half the balloon 
descended near Hightstown on the line of the Pemberton R. R. 

On ihe morning of October 12, 18-8, an ascent was made in The 
King Carnival from Scranton, Pa. He landed two hours later in 
Montgomery county, having made 125 miles. The wind blew a gale, 
and the journey was very exciting. A height of 17,000 feet was 
attained. The descent was rapid and violent, and the balloon was 
collapsed and ruined by coming in contact with a tall tree. The 
aeronaut was uninjured. 

The foregoing account, necessarily condensed and imperfect, gives 
but an outline of Mr. King's remarkably successful experience in 
aeronautics. It will serve, however, to illustrate h ; s coolness, fertility 
of resources, and the thoroughly practical common sense which on 
many occasions has secured his safety, and that of many who have 
accompanied him in his travels through the upper air. 



THE REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 



Five centuries ago Roger Bacon la d plans for navigating the air. 
They were crude and fallible, but they served as a starting point. It 
was given to the Montgolfier brothers, however, to prove by demon- 
stration that the air was navigable for a ship scientifically constructed. 
On the 26th of August, 1783, the first balloon rose from the Champ de 
Mars, under the direction of the Montgolfiers, and, reaching a height of 
3,123 feet in two minutes, it entered the clouds to fall, three quarters of 
an hour later, near the village of Gonesse, fifteen miles distant. This 
occasion at once opened the field of discussion and experiment. 

THE FIRST AERONAUT. 

Pilatre de Rozierwas the first man 10 ascend in a balloon. He went 
up October 15, 1783, from the Faubourg St. Antoine in a hot air bal- 
loon forty-eight feet in diameter and seventv-four feet high, and weigh- 
ing about 1,600 lbs. It was held to the ground by ropes and eighty- 
four feet was the highest point that it reached. M. de Rozier remained 
aloft about four and a-half minutes. He made several ascensions on the 
succeeding days in the same balloon, and on October 21st, he, with the 
Marquis d' Arlandes, ascended in a hot air balloon and passed over 
Paris, making a voyage of about five miles in about half an hour. 

THE FIRST GAS BALLOON. 

On December 1, MM. Charles and Robert ascended from the grounds 
of the Tuileries in a hydrogen balloon, the first gas balloon ever built, in 
the presence of 600,000 people. They made a trip of nine leagues in 
two hours. 

THE FIRST AMERICAN BALLOON. 

In this country James Wilcox made the first ascension on December 
28, 1783, in Pniladelphia. On this occasion, instead of one large vessel 
to contain the buoyant principle, ihe machine consisted of no less than 
forty-seven small balloons connected together and attached to the car. 
Wilcox ascended rapidly, and remained about ten minutes in the air, 
when, finding himself rapidly approaching the Schuylkill, he made in- 
cisions in several ot the balloons, and descended to the ground with 
considerable violence. 

The new fashion went everywhere. In 1784, there were fifty-two 
ascents in France, England, and Italy. From that time to the present 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 



17 



there have been upwards of 5,000 balloon ascents, and very few fatal 
accidents have happened that cannot be directly traced to ignorance, 




THE FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE. 

carelessness, or the use of fire balloons (/. e., those whose ascensive 
power is furnished by hot air). 

OVER THE SEA FROM DOVER TO CALAIS. 

January 7, 1785, Blar chard and Dr. Jeffries an American, crossed 



18 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

the channel from Dover to Calais. At seven minutes past one the 
balloon left Dover Castle, and in their passage they had a most 
magnificent view of both shores. When about one-third across they 
found themselves descending, and were obliged to throw away anchor, 
ropes, and part of^their clothing to keep out of the sea. As they ap- 
proached the shore the balloon rose, describing a magnificent arch 
high over the land. They descended in the forest of Guinnes. On 
this occasion Blanchard experimented with a parachute, his own inven- 
tion, and let down a dog which landed .safely. March 2, 1784, Blan- 
chard made his first ascent from Paris in a balloon of twenty-seven feet 
diameter. He made in all his career more than thirty aerial voyages. 

Madame Blanchard, his wife, who had made many successful ascents, 
ascended from Paris at night, July 7, 1 8 1 9, with fire works attached to the 
car, a spark from one of which ignited the gas and exploded the balloon. 
She was precipitated to the ground and killed. 

DE ROZIER'S FATAL ACCIDENT. 

On June 15, 1785, M. Piiatre de Rozier, the first man to ascend in a 
balloon two years before, attempted to cross the channel from 
Boulogne to England, in company with M. Romain. Rozier had con- 
trived a double balloon, which he expected would combine the advan- 
tages of both kinds — a fire balloon ten feet in diameter, being placed 
underneath a gas balloon thirty-seven feet in diameter, so that by 
increasing or diminishing the fire in the former it might be possible to 
ascend or descend without waste of gas. For rather less than half an 
hour the aerostat seemed to be going well, when suddenly the whole 
apparatus was seen in flames, and the unfortunate adventurers came 
to the ground from the supposed height of 3,000 feet. 

THE FIRST PARACHUTE EXPERIMENT. 

Garnerin was the first to use a parachute. October 22, 1797, he 
ascended from Paris in a balloon, and at the height of 2,000 feet cut 
the cord that connected his parachute with the balloon. The balloon 
burst, and Garnerin descended in his parachute very rapidly, but 
landed in safety. 

THE CORONATION OF NAPOLEON. 

Garnerin had a successful career. He sent up a balloon in honor of 
the coronation of Napoleon the Great. 

At 11 P. M., on the 16th of December, 1804, Garnerin despatched it 
from the square in front of Notre Dame, Paris. " One sees it rise 
slowly and majestically " say a chronicler of the times. " Not less 
than three thousand lights add to its beauty. It is, indeed, a fine sight, 
but who could then guess the direction it would take, or the sensation 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 19 

it would cause ?" However, on the following morn, at break of day, 
some of the inhabitants of Rome see at the horizon a brilliant globe 
coming towards their city. It is soon over St. Peter's and the Vatican ; 
descends, rises again, somewhat torn, keeps near the ground, and falls 
into Lake Braccaino. Here its pursuers first learn from whence it had 
come, for on drawing it from the water, they read it in gilt letters on 
its vast circumference — 

"Paris, 25 Frimaire, An XIII, Couronnement de Empereur Napo- 
leon par S. S. Pie VII." 

For distance and rapidity this flight would always have been re- 
markable ; but, considering the day on which it took place, it appears 
almost miraculous. A circumstance in addition, very trifling in itself, 
became of great importance in the eyes of Napoleon. A political turn, 
(would any one believe it?) was given to the voyage of the " ballon 
perdu." The balloon, on its course near the ground, left part of its 
crown on one angle of the tomb of Nero. The Italian papers, not be- 
ing under such rigorous censure as those of France, innocently related 
the coincidence : some, however, added malicious remarks injurious to 
the Emperor. This came at length to the ear of the master, some one 
even speaking of it at one of his levees. Napoleon showed his dis- 
pleasure, and ordered that no further remarks should be made about 
Garnerin's balloon. 

The balloon was preserved in a corridor of the Vatican until 18 14, 
with an inscription and date, but all reference to its contact with Nero's 
tomb was omitted. 

Garnerin is said to have made more than fifty ascents. He intro- 
duced night ascents, with fireworks, the first of which took place 
August 4, 1807. 

SCIENCE AND BALLOONS. 

In 1803 balloons began to be used in the cause of science. The first 
scientific ascent was made by Robertson and Lhoest, July 17, 1803. 
They left Hamburg at 9 A. M., ascended to a height of 23,526 feet, and 
5^ hours after descended near Hanover, seventy-five miles distant. 

Gay Lussac and Biot were among those who experimented in the 
clouds. 

Gay Lussac, in 1804, ascended from Paris, and in six hours traveled 
120 miles, having attained a height of 22,966 feet. 

ZAMBECCARI. 

On March 13, 1785, Count Zambeccari, of Rome, ascended for the 
first time, from London with Admiral Vernon. Shortly afterwards he 
returned to Italy, and devoted himself to the practice of aeronautics. He 



20 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

twice, in 1803 and 1804, descended into the Adriatic, and both times 
narrowly escaped death. Count Zambeccari suffered the loss of his 
fingers on the first trip from the effect of the cold. He continued 
to make ascents to a considerable height. In 1812 he ascended 
with Bonagna from Bologna in a hot-air ballon. On coming down the 
balloon caught in some high trees and took fire ; to avoid being burned 
they leaped out, when Zambeccarri was killed. 

GREEN'S CAREER. 

Green was one of the most famous of aeronauts, and in his long career 
from 1 82 1 to 1857 made nearly 1,400 ascents. He invented the guide- 
rope. Three times he crossed the sea ; twice he fell into it. In 1828 
he ascended on the back of a pony, stationed on and fastened to a plat- 
form suspended beneath the balloon. He introduced the practice of 
using coal gas in place of hydrogen. He died in 1870, in his eighty- 
sixth year, and his accounts are worthy of all confidence. 

Green once went 43 miles in 18 minutes in a balloon, ascending from 
Leeds. He was thrown from his car, and the balloon was afterwards 
found in Holland. In 1838 he ascended with Rush, an American, who 
made with him 16 ascents in all, to a height of nearly 4 miles, and four 
days after they rose to a height of 27,150 feet. Green had several 
brothers, who made many ascents, and a son named George, who has 
ascended more than 200 times. 

THE FIRST GREAT AIR VOYAGE. 

One of the greatest of air voyages was made by Messrs. Green, 
Monck-Mason and Holland, from London to Weilburg, in the duchy of 
Nassau, November 7 and 8, 1836, a distance of 500 miles. The balloon 
was made of silk, pear-shaped, and held 85,000 cubic feet. The ascent 
was made at half-past one in the afternoon. At twelve minutes to five the 
balloon reached the line of the sea, and the view of the English coastline 
exposed to the voyagers was of the most magnificent description. In 
about an hour they had crossed the Channel, and the light of Calais 
glittered beneath. The air ship traveled rapidly and smoothly during 
the night. Soon after dawn the balloon, which had been traveling near 
the earth, rose to an elevation of about 12,000 feet. The voyagers de- 
scended without accident at half-past seven o'clock, about two leagues 
from the town of Weilburg, having made the journey of 500 miles in 
eighteen hours. 

cocking's fatal descent. 
In 1836, Mr. Cocking, an elderly English gentleman of scientific at- 
tainments, constructed a parachute of novel form, and to test it ascend- 
ed with the distinguished aeronaut, Green, from Vauxhall. At an alti- 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 



tude of about 5,000 feet the parachute was detached, and descended to 
the earth in less than a minute and a half. Cocking was dashed to 
pieces. The balloon, relieved of its weight, rose to a height of nearly 
four and a half miles, and the occupants of the car were in great peril, 
but under Green's skill ul management descended in safety. 




cooking's parachute. 

Jordaki Kuparen'.o, a Polish aeronaut, is the only person who ever 
made any real use of a parachute. He ascended from Warsa v in 1808, 
in a fire balloon, which took fire at a considerable height ; but, being 
provided with a parachute, he made a safe descent. 

OVER THE ALPS. 

In 1849 M. Arban sailed from Marseilles over the Alps, and landed 
near Turin, a distance of 400 miles, in eight hours. He was afterwards 
drowned in an ascent from Barcelona, Spain. 

In 1850 Barral and Bixio made two ascents, the first on June 29, 
when they reached an altitude of 30,000 feet. July 27, they ascended 
about 2 1 ,000 feet. On both occasions very interesting observations were 
made. 

THE GREATEST AMERICAN BALLOON VOYAGE. 

One of the most distinguished of aeronauts was John La Mountain, 
constructor and manager of the balloon that has made up to this time 
the second longest aerial voyage. This balloon, called The Atlantic, 
was built of the best Chinese silk, and held about 60,000 feet of gas. 



22 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

It ascended from St. Louis on July i, 1859, containing Messrs. John 
La Mountain, O. A. Gager, William Hyde, of the St. Louis Republican 
and John Wise. The next day it landed at Adams, Jefferson County. 
New York, having made the distance of 1,180 miles in nineteen hours, 
The balloon had a common basket car secured to it, and a very light 
and strong life boat slung below, besides a screw steering apparatus. 
Mr. Hyde's account of the voyage is substantially as follows: "The 
writer was a passenger in the air-ship Atlantic, which left St. Louis, 
on the evening of Tuesday, July 1, and landed near the eastern shore 
of Lake Ontario early in the afternoon of the next day. At a little 
after six o'clock, Prof. Wise took his place in a large wicker basket, 
suspended to the ' concentrating hoop ' of the balloon, the top of which 
basket or car was about sixteen feet from the boat. The balloon then 
being restrained from darting into space by a hundred or more stout 
hands, was suffered to rise sufficiently to bring the boat in trim, where- 
upon Mr. La Mountain, Mr. Gager, and the writer stepped in. The 
aeronauts had very kindly allowed me to accompany them, on condition 
that if at any time my weight should prove an obstacle to the success 
of the voyage, I was to be landed — not thrown off as ballast, of course, 
but brought safely to the ground, and the avoirdupois thus put off, be 
changed f cr substances of lesser gravitation — while the others were to 
go on. The crowd pressed about in such a manner that to adjust the 
fan wheels of the machinery intended for raising and depressing the 
ship without the discharge of ballast cr gas was found to be imprac- 
ticable. Thus the good people, anxious to perform any kind office, 
except to step a little one side, delayed the ascension somewhat, and 
compelled the aeronauts to relinquish any purpose the wheels might 
have served, as they could not be arranged in mid-air, without risking 
life. The cargo consisted of nine hundred pounds of sand, in bags ; 
a large quantity of cold chickens, tongues, potted meats, sandwiches, 
etc ; numerous dark-colored, long-necked vessels, containing cham- 
pagne sherry, sparkling Catawba, claret, Madeira, brandy and porter; 
a plentiful supply of overcoats ; shawls, blankets, and fur gloves ; a 
couple or three carpet bags, chuck full of what is expressed in that 
convertible phrase — a change ; a pail of iced lemonade, and a bucket 
of water ; a compass, barometer, thermometer, and chart, bundles of 
the principal St. Louis newspapers ; an express package, directed to 
New York city ; cards of candidates for clerkships in several of the 
courts ; tumblers, cups, knives, and perhaps other articles which have 
escaped me. 

At the word, those who were holding on to the sides of the boat, 
simultaneously let go, and The Atlantic rose slowly and majestically 
above the many thousands who were gathered in the vicinity, and 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 23 

sailed off in a direction a little north of northeast. I have seen many 
large assemblages, but never any to compare in numbers with the 
throngs who occupied Washington Square, inside and outside the en- 
closure, who blackened the roofs of houses and the tops of lumber 
piles, and who filled the streets. The applauding shouts of the people 
reached our ears for some time after we left the earth, growing fainter 
and fainter as we receded. When we no longer heard the voices we 
ceased waving our hats, took seats, and prepared ourselves to enjoy 
the sublimity of the varied scenery that presented itself for hundreds 
upon hundreds of miles around ; and Mr. La Mountain announced 
that it was twenty minutes before seven o'clock. 

The city of St. Louis was an imposing and magnificent spectacle, 
showing that, large as I knew her extent of territory to be, it was filled 
up with most substantial evidence of commercial power and wealth. 
I have not, from passing through her streets and viewing the mighty 
arteries throbbing with all the elements of busy life and trade, formed 
any adequate conception of her real greatness. As it would not 
be easy to sketch on canvas a correct view of the city as seen from 
above, similarly difficult must be the undertaking when essayed on 
paper. From a general appearance of squattiness — the word may not 
be very elegant, but it is the only one suggesting itself which conveys 
the idea — objects gradually became less clearly defined. The smoke 
from the foundries disappeared in the sky ; streets grew narrower and 
darker, until they seemed like thin lines ; and finally the city faded into 
a spot. By this time the barometer had fallen four inches, and the 
balloon commanded an extended view of the Mississippi, the Missouri 
and the Illinois rivers. Leaving the noblest of streams to the left, I 
had an opportunity to realize, as much as possible to a practical person, 
the meaning of poetic dreams when attempting to portray the silvery 
glittering sheen of the waters produced by the rays of the declining 
sun. Nothing could be imagined more gorgeously beautiful. We 
cracked a bottle of Heidsick on behalf of the silvery glittering sheen. 

The strips of timber land and fields of newly harvested grain of that 
portion of Illinois over which our silken globe was gliding were not 
grotesquely mingled as they might be supposed to be when viewed 
from the distance, but lay like a floor of mosaic masonry, regular and 
square. To our vision there were no hills nor valleys, every object 
appearing set upon a level surface. At 7.10 the barometer stood at 
twenty-four and the thermometer indicated fifty-five degrees. I had 
now the singular sensation about the ears which has been described as 
the experience of all aeronauts on their first voyage. It was unpleas- 
ant and annoying, but by no means painful ; very much such a feeling 
as one has when, while bathing, these organs become stopped up with 



24 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

water, making the tympanum grate rather harshly at any sound. The 
monster vessel had expanded a good deal since the ascension and had 
acquired a more round and symmetrical appearance than that exhibited 
upon starting. 

In a few minutes gas was blown off from the tube at the mouth of 
the balloon, the signal that it had become inflated to its fullest capacity, 
Prof. Wise, who had charge ol the rope connecting with the valve at 
the top, promptly gave it a pull, and immediately thereafter a quantity 
of bluish vapor floated off and circled upwards. This was at fifteen 
minutes after seven o'clock. A quarter of an hour later the air-ship 
had descended very considerably ; the barometer indicated twenty- 
seven inches and the thermometer sixty-five degrees. All this time the 
happy quartette had been conversing about the magnificent scenery, 
relating anecdotes and watching with interest the progress of Mr. 
Brooks' balloon, The Comet, which had preceded us from Washington 
Square. 

A MAGNIFICENT SENSATION. 

Every vestige of St. Louis had now vanished from our sight, and we 
were drifting at a wonderful rate of speed toward our far-off destina- 
tion. I do not think I ever experienced such exhilaration of spirit, 
such real joy. Our motion was perfectly steady. There was no rock- 
ing of the boat or car, no rustling of the silk ; nothing, indeed, but the 
receding forests and fields beneath to tell us we were not poised 
between earth and sky in a dead calm. To have been apprehensive of 
danger would have been next to impossible ; to have felt fear would 
have been not cowardice but pusillanimity. My feeling was that bal- 
looning, besides being the most pleasant and swift, was the safest mode 
of travel known. 

Steaming down a rapid current in a boat on a lovely evening, with 
sublime bluffs, romantic avenues, and green foliage on either side, glis- 
tening waves below and a mild sky above, is grand and delightful 
sailing on an unruffled lake, parting the placid waters and skimming like 
a gull with gentle fleetness is ineffably glorious. But these enjoyable 
methods of travel I felt yielded in point of dainty pleasurableness to 
'he bud-like grace and impressive surroundings of aerial navigation. 
With us no breath of breeze was stirring. The buoyant down of a 
thistle released from the willow car would have fallen to the boat by its 
own specific gravity. In all its calmness our monster bubble floated 
through the clouds. Twiligfit was on the earth and gave to the color 
of the soil the appearance of frozen lakes. By this time the sun had 
set to the inhabitants of the earth, though to us it was four or five 
degrees above the horizon. And thirty-two minutes after 7 we saw 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 2$ 

our escort, The Comet, which looked like a mere bladder, effecting a 
landing far to the northeast. 

At thirty-six minutes after 7 o'clock we were favored with a view 
of sunset such as no painter could depict nor any enthusiast describe. 
We were passing over the magnificent prairies of Illinois — those oceans 
of agricultural wealth— St. Louis lying south, half west, behind us, 
and the brightness of the western sky was in fine contrast with the on- 
coming darkness of the Mississippi and tributary streams. 

Above it has been mentioned that at half-past 7 o'clock, 
the barometer indicated 27 inches. It may be necessary to refresh 
the reader's recollection here by stating that the use of the barometer 
is to measure the different degrees of atmospheric weight of pressure 
by the rise and fall of mercury in a tube. The pressure of the air 
varies as we ascend from the earth, the medium altitude of the mer- 
cury at the surface being from twenty-nine to thirty inches. The 
diminution of the density of the atmosphere is perceptible on a lofty 
hill, and is proportionably greater, of course, at more decided heights. 

At ten minutes past 7 o'clock the finger of the barometer had 
pointed to 24, showing an altitude of one mile. Thus it will be 
observed that in twenty minutes we had descended rapidly to the 
earth, and explanation is apparent that this depression was the 
result of the discharge of gas, the buoyant power. To atone for the 
descent it was in turn requisite to throw off ballast and lessen the 
weight wh'ch the balloon had to carry, which was done by opening 
a bag of sand and dropping a few handfulls. At 8 o'clock, the mer- 
cury in the barometrical tube told 26 inches, and five minutes sub- 
sequently 23^, which showed that our gallant ship lifted herself 
wonderfully. 

The rising of the fluid was not the only way by which we knew we 
had been attaining a greater altitude, for we now enjoyed the rather 
unusual occurrence of beholding the sun rise in the West — apparently 
rise, for the glorious luminary had only disappeared as our craft sank 
and again came in sight as the mysterious influence of the sand-bag 
lessened the distance between us and the earth. A quarter of an 
hour elapsed and it became dark. The barometer then stood at 
23 and the weather was bitter cold. Our shawls and our coats 
and gloves came into requisition, but in spite of these artificial 
aids to comfort, our limbs were numb and our teeth chattered after 
the manner of an American bottom ague. It was, I think, about 
this time an incident occurred both exciting and alarming. 

A PERILOUS SITUATION. 

Prof. Wise crouched himself down in the wicker-car, covered his 



26 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

body with shawls and other articles of warmth, and was paying his 
devoirs to the drowsy god of sleep. The balloon had again become 
inflated to its fullest tension, and Prof. Wise lay immediately under its 
mouth. Mr. Gager had to address some remark to him, but 
received no answer. It was deemed impossible that he had fallen 
asleep so soon, and Mr. G. again accosted him, this time in a louder 
tone. Still there was .no response. A third and fourth time did he 
call, but heavy, deep and convulsive breathings were the only result. 
Mr. Gager, almost pale with apprehension lest something fearful had 
occurred to Prof. Wise, at once bounded to one of the upright irons 
of the fan wheel machinery, and with assistance from one of his 
fellow voyagers, clambered into the car. It was a lucky circumstance 
for Prof. Wise that he did, for Mr. Gager found that the tube at the 
mouth of the balloon was directly under the former's nose, and that 
the expansion of the gas had driven some of the hydrogen directly into 
his face. He was at that time insensible, though as soon as the tube 
had been removed by Mr. Gager from its proximity to the Professor's 
olfactories, and a few hearty shakes given him, the comatose man re- 
vived, rubbed his eyes, muttered a few incoherent syllables, and in- 
quired what brought his friend into the car, and what was the 
matter. 

THE CURRENT TO THE EAST. 

While this was going on The Atlantic had found the current that 
the aeronauts had declared was always blowing in the upper regions, 
from the Occident to the orient, and was now traveling toward the 
very star which they had picked out in the firmament as the beacon of 
the course they wished to take. The discovery was one well calcu- 
lated to perfect the restoration of senses in Prof. Wise, so happily begun 
by Mr. Gager. 

There broke from his lips a little cough, and saying, " Boys, let's 
sing," he struck up the stirring national anthem, Hail Columbia, in 
which we all joined and carried through with a great deal of vigor 
and very little time, as the frigidity of the atmosphere put quite a 
damper on patriotism and melody. 

We kept alorg on the west-east current only a little while, however, 
as from experiments made, it is important to say here at the sacrifice 
of both gas and sand, it seemed that the lower currents were blowing 
nearly east (it turned out that their course was a good deal north of 
east), and it was determined that the increase cf our comfort would 
more than compensate for the loss of time in making the coast by lower- 
ing the vessel a considerable distance. It was some time before it was 
ascertained what amount of the ascending power it would be necessary 
to discharge in order to depress the balloon to the proper point, 



28 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

and not until quite a large quantity of ballast had been expended, it 
being no longer light enough to make any instrumental observations. 

The aerial ship descended until the atmosphere ceased to be very 
cold, when our party began a siege on the eatables and drinkables, 
dispatching various good things — solid, fluid, and mixed, with alacrity 
and relish. 

A NIGHT VIEW FROM THE BALLOON. 

About this time (a little alter midnight) there were momentan 
flashes of lightning on all sides of the horizon. The milky way ap- 
peared like luminous phosphorescent clouds, and Heaven's jeweled 
tiara of stars glistened below us and above us. Night's queenly brow 
shimmered with the mellow light of the newborn crescent moon. 
Starlight and moonlight ! Here was the poesy to which Shelley paid 
such deep adoration, and which Alexander Smith delighted to cherish 
and to cultivate. 

Here was the mighty scroll of the cerulean-pillared firmament, glit- 
tering all over with gorgeous heraldry. We broke another bottle to 
the blue sky glittering all over with its gorgeous heraldry. 

At 12.35 we passed over a small river, but were unable to tell 
what it was, not being able to trace its course for a sufficient dis- 
tance. At 1 o'clock we found ourselves sailing over a dense forest, 
and, being then quite low, distinctly heard the wind passing through 
the tree boughs, sounding like a heavy rain. We emerged from the 
woods, if the term is allowable, and floated over several habitations, 
which we saluted with our united voices. 

Only the dogs and the bull frogs had the kindness to send up their 
uncivilized acclamations, and in return we dispatched them the latest 
intelligence from St. Louis, done up in a copy of the Evening News, 
as affording a sort of compromise between our language and theirs. 
At 1.30 we glided over another river, and as we thought a canal, and 
thirty minutes later over a railroad track. The river was doubtless 
the Wabash and the railroad the New Albany and Salem. Prof. 
Wise and Mr. Gager had been asleep since about 12.30 and appeared 
to give the matter their unremitting attention. I had taken about an 
hour's rest in broken doses ; having been in a d;lemma whether to 
close my eyes on sublunary things or to keep a v'sual open for passing 
events. The quandary was settled by my coming to the conclusion 
that as such trips as The Atlantic was making were by no means of 
every day occurrence, it would not do to miss any of the incidents. 

Mr. La Mountain, who had been very jovially inclined during the 
early part of the night, suddenly became rather indisposed to talk, and 
I observed him bowing with closed eyes at ihe bottom of the boat. 
He had worked with great industry at Verandah Hall in getting the 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 29 

cords, valves, etc. in trim for the voyage, and had taken but little 
time to sleep. Morpheus seemed to have some claim upon him and 
was disposed to press it. While Mr. L. was dozing I observed a cur- 
rent of air was taking us downwards, and called his attention to it. 
We had just time to scoop up a couple of handfuls of ballast apiece and 
drop them overboard to save us from a collision with a clump of trees, 
which stood in alarming proximity. Such was our nearness to the earth 
at this time that we very distinctly heard the sand fall on the ground. 

The balloon, once more freed from a portion of her freight, darted up 
again into the air, and went above the branches without touching, 
though the margin was quite small. It was 2.40 then. The goddess 
of the dawn was just leading her coursers of daylight to the gate of the 
horizon, tinging the east with a faint purple glow. Pretty soon an- 
other ruddy flame lighted up, and at 3 o'clock I could distinguish where 
there was a line in my note book sufficiently to avoid making one 
memorandum directly over another. Five minutes elapsed, and the 
stars have gone off their beats, and the deep-mouthed dogs are going 
to their kennels. / 

The balloon was now riding majestically through the clear ether. 
We were not high, apparently, yet a house below us looked the size 
of a cobble stone. Messrs. Wise, Gager and La Mountain were fast 
asleep, and it devolved on me to be " scientific director, navigator, 
and aeronaut," in one — the responsibility of which, I flatter myself, 
was not misplaced, inasmuch as there could have been nothing more 
for me to do except to wonder how far we had traveled, what course 
we were taking, where we were going, and when we would get there — 
duties that I performed with astonishing proficiency, for a novice. 

Yet I was not so engrossed in this philosophical employment that I 
could not observe passing events. I noticed the same combination of 
forests and fields, with regular squares, that had attracted my atten- 
tion in the early part of the evening whilst above Illinois, but the 
balloon was nearer the earth now, and every object was dressed in an 
emerald hue. A piece of ice, weighing about three pounds, which had 
been placed in the water-bucket at starting, had melted to the size of 
a walnut, from which circumstance it will be inferred that the weather 
had not been intensely cold. 

At 3.25 we floated over a village composed of a dozen or so of 
houses in a pretty cluster. By this time all the party were awake and 
lively, and we chatted, and sang, and ate till sunrise, at 4.15, when we 
left to the right of us a large town which Mr. La Mountain said was 
Fort Wayne, Ind. We could plainly hear the shouts of the aston- 
ished and delighted inhabitants, and Mr. Gager led off with a resound- 
ing and jolly hurrah, given by the whole of us with a will. We ac- 



30 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON, 

cordingly lost much breath for nothing, for it is not probable we were 
heard. If there was but one crooked river in the world, no person 
going over the Wabash, attached to a balloon, would hesitate to say 
that was it. Prof. Wise jocularly remarked that fishes would have 
tiresome work navigating that stream. Mr. Gager thought it would 
afford excellent opportunities for the display ol science on the part of a 
steersman of a flat boat. Mr. La Mountain asserted that the steers- 
man might imagine it a grand stream for dams, while I could only 
make a remark, not very funny, that the Wabash, like a tired toper, 
did not pursue its course on undeviating principles, the idea of which 
I stole from Hood. 

At twenty-seven minutes past 4 o'clock we were sailing at a 
moderate speed near the forest, in a northern course, the thermometer 
ranging at 74 degrees, and the barometer as low as 'yi% inches. 
Although the aeronauts were not pleased with the state of things, they 
said it was not best to throw off any ballast, as the sun's rays on the 
balloon would heat the gas and give the vessel a new impetus upward. 
There was good philosophy in that, and pretty soon we noticed its 
verification. At fifteen minutes after 5 o'clock the mercury in the 
barometer showed our altitude to be nearly one mile. We could then 
hear the lowing of the cows with distinctness. In seven minutes more 
the barometer indicated 23^ inches, or as near as could be approxi- 
mated, only three inches and a-half below the mininum figure reached 
during the voyage, which was at night, when it was too dark to make 
observation on the instrument. Our highest altitude, therefore, was 
about two miles. 

"THE LAKE! THE LAKE!" 

Twelve minutes after 5 o'clock we descried in the east what at 
first appeared to be the reflection of the sun on the sky. At last one 
of the party asserted that we were not many miles from a lake ; and so 
it was, as the reader shall know by and by. The noble air-vessel was 
rushing along at a brisk rate, dragging its shadow on the ground en- 
circled in fantastic colors. There was no doubt that what had at first 
seemed a brilliancy of the eastern heavens was nothing less than an 
immense body of water. 

The aeronauts concluded that it could only be Lake Erie, and they 
were right, for, tracing the shore, and observing the little islands, its 
contour corresponded almost precisely with the map. 

A SUBLIMER SCENE 

now broke on human view. Lake Erie, it will be remembered, has a 
surface of 7,800 square miles, and although we could not behold the 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 31 

whole of it, the view lost none of its magnificence from this cause. Its 
expanse, limited and bounded by the great zone where it blended with 
the heavens, seemed an eternity of waters, vast, measureless as the 
bending canopy itself. 

Groups of white clouds, like great puffs from a steam-pipe, floated 
languidly on every side, unfolding their gauze-like robes, and passing 
off in eddying currents. There was a collection of houses huddled to- 
gether, where the Maumee river pours its tribute into the lap of the 
lake, and this was Toledo ; and there, in that great bend, dotted with 
specks of land, Perry gained his victory, in 1813. 7 o'clock saw the 
gallant Atlantic parting company with the shore a little north of Port 
Clinton, then making due east. We were low enough to distinguish 
objects of the size of men, and as the balloon darted above houses, we 
could plainly discern people, and hear their voices. One apprehensive 
individual bellowed out, " You'd better watch out ; that's the lake ;" 
while another contented himself with the exclamation, " Hooe-e !" A 
small propeller did The Atlantic the honor to blow her whistle as a 
salutation, and immediately hove to, her commander, doubtless, imag- 
ining we were about to descend into the water, when he would have 
to pick us out. A considerable quantity of ballast was now dis- 
charged, and as at 7.25 we swept by Sandusky city, the barometer shot 
up to 23^ inches, the thermometer indicating 50 degrees. 

The balloon having reached the rarified regions, expanded almost 
to her full capacity, and again it was found necessary to pull down the 
safety-valve and let off gas. By this time we had sailed far from the 
shore, and the bosom of the lake appeared dotted for miles with white 
objects, which we knew to be schooners. 

Messrs. La Mountain and Gager had been asleep since 7 o'clock, but 
at 8.30 Prof. Wise directed more ballast to be thrown overboard, and 
they awoke to see what the matter was. The alarm which suggested 
this was soon over, however, and at 9 o'clock the whole party were as 
merry as when they were lifted toward the clouds at starting. 

EIGHTY MILES AN HOUR. 

At half-past 9 o'clock we overtook a steamer bound for Buffalo, 
the decks of which were crowded with persons, whose huzzas were 
borne to our ears, attended by the shrill scream of the boat's whistle. 
We were wafting along not more than 500 feet from the Lake, in a 
northeasterly course, making decidedly the fastest time on record. At 
six minutes of 10 o'clock the steamer could be faintly seen on the hor- 
izon, so rapid was our flight. The balloon was then passing over Long 
Point, near the spot made famous by the delectable prize-fight of 
Morrisey and Heenan. Soon we had traversed nearly the entire 



32 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

length of Lake Erie, a distance of 250 miles, accomplishing it in three 
hours. 

ERIE AND ONTARIO. 

At 10.30 o'clock we had lakes Erie and Ontario both in sight, a 
spectacle that could not be viewed without a mingled sentiment of ad- 
miration and wonder. The balloon had soon attained an altitude of 
nearly a mile. A terrible storm was surging beneath us, the trees 
waving and the mad waves dashing against the shore of Erie in an aw- 
fully tempestuous manner. But above the careering whirlpools and 
the thundering breakers swam the proud Atlantic, not a cord dis- 
placed nor a breadth of silk disturbed, and gaily heading for the salt 
crests which bound our vast Republic. Now, like a gurgle, comes the 
subdued sounds of the plashing and headlong cataract of Niagara. 

OVER NIAGARA. 

At 1 1 o'clock, having skimmed over the Lake shore, still bound east- 
wardly, the balloon brought us in sight of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, as 
also the Welland Canal. We had reached a height of more than a mile, 
the barometer marking 23.6 inches. 

At 12.30 we were nearly between the Falls and Buffalo, inclining 
rather to the left of the latter. Here we had a view of the great catar- 
act O-ni-au-ger-rah ("the thunder of the water ") as the Indians call 
it, General Brock's monument, Queenstown, Grand Island, St. Cather- 
ine's, Green Bay, Lewiston, Black Rock, Fort Erie, and other celebrities 
of that locality. The famous falls were quite insignificant, seen from 
our altitude. There was to us a descent of about two feet, and the 
water seemed to be perfectly motionless. The spray gave the whole an 
appearance as of ice, and there was nothing grand or sublime about it. 
Passing the western terminus of the Erie Canal, the balloon was borne 
directly toward Lake Ontario. Our ballast was now nearly exhausted, 
and to have determined on crossing the second lake would have been 
sheer recklessness and hardihood. Here it was debated whether it were 
better to land Mr. Gager and myself, and in our stead take in a suffi- 
cient quantity of new ballast, and again steer for the Atlantic Ocean. 
Could this have been done there is scarcely a doubt of Messrs. Wise 
and La Mountain reaching their destination. 

IN THE HURRICANE. 

The air-ship was lowered, but was immediately caught in the hurri- 
cane which was then raging, and carried very near the tops of trees 
which were bending and swaying to and fro by the force of the wind. 
Mr. La Mountain at once threw over the buckets and their contents, and 
the lift this gave us kept us from being crushed in the woods. 

Like a bullet, we shot out into the lake. The machinery was got in 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 33 

readiness to be tossed out, and every possible preparation made for keep- 
ing - out of the waves. For a while we cherished the hope that we would 
be able to pass the broad expanse of deep in safety, though we knew 
we had nearly 190 miles to traverse. But this hope died out in 
less than an hour, as the trooping winds bore down on us, it seemed, 
with greater and increased fierceness. We had got far out, and there 
was no land in sight. A dreary waste of 7,000 square miles of water 
was before and around us. 

SINKING. 

At length we neared the dashing billows, which were wildly flinging 
up their white caps and chasing one another toward the northeast. For 
me a lifetime was concentrated in that awful, perilous moment. It was 
the first time since I had set foot in the boat suspended to the balloon 
that I had experienced fear as to my safety. I looked around at my 
companions ; they were calm, but their countenances gave me no as- 
surance. Plunge, plunge, went the iron bars of the machinery into the 
waves, now rolling ten feet in height. And The Atlantic, obedient to 
this meagre control, again bounded upwards out of the way of 
the dark and hungry element. There was great relief in this, but 
the coolest reason could not have seen in the circumstance anything 
but momentary encouragement. I cannot recollect whether it was at 
this point, or before, that Mr. Gager climbed up into the car with Prof. 
Wise. Whenever it was, he did so as much for the security of the en- 
tire party as for his own safety, for there is no selfishness in Mr. Gager, 
see him where you will. 

For a time again our flying ship was buoyed up out of the way of 
hazard, but would frequently dart downwards, as though intent on bury- 
ing us ""all. This movement was promptly checked by throwing out 
some article as ballast ; and thus carpet-sacks, containing clothing, 
overcoats, bundles of papers, provisions, were pitched out into the lake, 
and still we kept in almost hopeless proximity. Mr. La Mountain said 
he desired to take care of the boat, and advised me to get into the car 
above with Messrs. Wise and Gager, which I hastened to do. No sooner 
had I planted myself firmly in the wicker basket than down, down, down 
with fearful speed went the balloon towards the lake. I closed my eyes 
involuntarily, but was quickly aroused by a crash and a lunge of the 
car forward. Three times was there a terrible clatter and splash. 

A BRAVE MAN. 

" One moment more of life !" thought I. Looking around I beheld a 
hat floating off, and the same instant the balloon darted out of the water t 
I Pcor La Mountain !" was in my heart to say, for I thought him gone; 
but a cheerful "All right, boys !" stopped me and lightened me of my 



34 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

grief." Now came a test of La Mountain's bravery, and nobly did he 
stand it. Taking a hatchet from the car, where it was swung, he be- 
gan loosening the planks making the lining of the boat, which he sent 
overboard at every indication of another descent. When he had gone 
as far as possible this way, he unscrewed the nuts which had been 
placed in the side of the boat, by which to fasten the machinery. 

Gathering all articles of no matter how little weight together, he sent 
them with the rest, the oars went over next, and at last there was noth- 
ing in the boat. He had taken off his coat to it, and worked tilt the 
perspiration ran from his brow like rain, and all the while speaking 
hopefully and endeavoring to quiet our apprehensions. When there 
was nothing more to be done below, Mr. La Mountain drew himself 
up by the rope of the car. Everything had now gone but an overcoat 
and two blankets, which were saved to be used as a final resort. 

How wistfully did four persons strain their eyes that day in the di- 
rection of the shore, and would it never, never come in sight ? Mr. 
Gager's face bore an expression of mingled sadness and solicitude ; 
perhaps he was thinking of a group of happy faces, all unconscious of 
his peril, away in Bennington, Vermont. Mr. La Mountain seemed 
more hopeful, and Prof. Wise talked as though he was certain of get- 
ting safe over the lake, though he warned us of danger as soon as we 
should be off the water. 

LAND AHEAD. 

Wise's theory was that, if the boat should get swamped, the balloon 
would still have momentum and power sufficient to drag us to shore, 
which, happily, had by this time appeared in the dim distance. A 
propeller called " Young America," shortly afterwards bore down upon 
us to come to our relief, but we scudded some hundreds of feet before 
her bows, and so that hope failed. 

THE PERIL OF THE LAND. 

Finally, after skirmishing within thirty feet of the dark waves, for a 
distance of not less than fifty miles, and perhaps more, we had the joy 
to know that we were out of danger of drowning ; but a new peril was 
before us. Professor Wise had been quite right in his prediction. The 
hurricane blew us immediately into a dense forest which skirted the 
lake, and threatened to tear us limb from limb. 

Mr. Gager had thrown out the anchor, a heavy iron one, with three 
hooks, each an inch and a quarter in thickness. So rapid was our 
flight, that this stood out nearly straight from the car. As ihe grapnel 
swung against the trees of moderate size, the velocity of the balloon 
and its terrible strength would tear it down, and fling it to the ground. 
One by one the hooks broke off, and we were again at the mercy of an 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 35 

all-sweeping wind. Mr. La Mountain and I held on to the valve rope, 
endeavoring to discharge the gas, but we were quickly compelled to re- 
lease our grasp, and cling to the concentrating hoop to avoid being 
thrown out. 

-The meshes enveloping the silk of The Atlantic had an aggregate 
strength of one hundred tons. It is strange that it was some time be- 
fore the strong cords were broken. 

CRASHING THROUGH THE FOREST. 

The balloon actually went through a mile of forest, and tearing 
down trees and breaking branches, pursued its resistless course, dash- 
ing our party in the willow car to and fro, against trunks and limbs 
until the stout netting had broken, little by little, and the balloon itself 
had no longer any protection, when striking a tall tree, the silk was 
punctured in a dozen places, and rent into ribbons, leaving the car sus- 
pended by the netting twenty feet above the ground. The course of 
the balloon through the woods, left a path similar to that of a tornado. 
Trees half the size of a man's body, were snapped in twain as though 
they were pipe-stems, and huge limbs were scattered like leaves. 

SAFE AT LAST. 

It is difficult to see how any of the quartette escaped with his life. 
It happened that the landing was made within 150 yards of a settle- 
ment, and the crash was so great that the people ran to the spot 
to see what had happened. Singular as it would appear, there 
was only one of the four injured in the least, Mr. La Mountain receiving 
some slight contusions about one of his hips, but the remainder es- 
caped without a scratch. When we got down, which was done partly 
by ropes and partly by means cf a broken tree, several persons were 
standing around with open mouths and eyes staring out wonder. We 
then learned that we had landed on the place of Truman O. Whitney, 
near Sackett's Harbor in the township of Henderson, Jefferson County, 
N. Y. By Mr. La Mountain's watch, the time was two o'clock and 
twenty minutes. 

TWELVE HUNDRED MILES IN TWENTY HOURS. 

We had been nineteen hours and forty minutes traveling a distance 
which cannot be computed at less than 900 miles, and is said to reach 
as much as 1200. 

ANOTHER PERILOUS VOYAGE. 

On September 22 succeeding, Mr. La Mountain, accompanied by 
Mr. J. A. Haddock, of Troy, N. Y., ascended in the same bal- 
loon — The Atlantic — from Watertown, N. Y. They rose about 5.30 
P. M. and drifted northward, reaching a height of three and one- 



36 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

half miles during the night, in the darkness of which they de- 
scended. In the morning they found themselves in the midst of dense 
woods. After wandering for four days without food, they discovered 
a Scotch guide, a member of a lumber party, 150 miles due north of 
Ottawa. They finally arrived home after having nearly starved to death 
and suffered every privation. The balloon was abandoned in the woods. 

THE HIGHEST ALTITUDE VET REACHED. 

Mr. James Glaisher, of England, has attained eminence as a scien- 
tific aeronaut, and his work Travels in the Air is one of the most in- 
teresting on the subject. His first ascent was made in 1862. On Sep- 
tember 5, 1862, he made a very noteworthy ascent with Mr. Coxwell, 
the aeronaut, attaining probably the highest altitude ever reached in a 
balloon. The balloon had a capacity of 90,000 cubic feet, and was 
made of American sheeting. It was about one-third full, and ascended 
with 600 pounds of ballast. They left the earth at 1.30 P. M., with a 
temperature of 59 degrees at starting. In thirty-seven minutes a height 
of four miles had been reached. From this point we give the narrative 
in Mr. Glaisher's own words : 

"The temperature was 8 degrees. Discharging sand, we in ten min- 
utes attained the altitude of five miles, and the thermometer read 2 de- 
grees. Up to this time I had taken observations with comfort, and ex- 
perienced no difficulty in breathing, while Mr. Coxwell, in consequence 
of the exertion he had to make, had breathed with difficulty for some 
time. Having discharged sand we ascended still higher ; the aspirator 
became difficult to work, and I also found difficulty in seeing clearly. 
At 1 h. 51 min. the barometer read 10.8 inches. About 1 h. 52 min., 
or later, I read the dry bulb thermometer as minus 5 degrees ; after this 
I could not see the column in the wet bulb thermometer, nor the hands 
of the watch, nor the fine divisions on any instrument. I asked Mr. 
Coxwell to help me read the instrument. In consequence, however, of 
the rotatory motion of the balloon, which had continued without ceasing 
since leaving the earth, the valve-line had become entangled, and he 
had to leave the car and mount the ring to re-adjust it. I then looked 
at the barometer and found its reading to be 9^ inches, still decreas- 
ing fast, implying a height exceeding 29,000 feet. Shortly after, I 
laid my arm on the table, possessed of its full vigor, but on being de- 
sirous of using it I found it powerless, it must have lost its power mo- 
mentarily ; trying to move the other arm I found it powerless also. 
Then I tried to shake myself and succeeded, but I seemed to have no 
limbs. In looking at the barometer my head fell over my left shoulder. 
I struggled and shook my body again, but could not move my arms. 
Getting my head upright for an instant only, it fell over my right 




Path of the Balloon in its ascent from Wolverhampton to Cold Weston, near Ludlow. 

September 5, 1862. 
route of the balloon in mr. glaisher's great ascent. 



38 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

shoulder; then I fell backwards, my back resting against the side of the 
car and my head on its edge. In this position my eyes were directed 
to Mr. Coxwell in the ring. I dimly saw him and endeavored to speak, 
but could not. In an instant intense darkness overcame me, so that 
the optic nerve lost power suddenly, but I was still conscious, with as 
active a brain as at the present moment whilst writing this. I thought 
I had been seized with asphyxia, and believed I should experience noth- 
ing more, as death would come unless we speedily descended. Other 
thoughts were entering my mind, when I suddenly become unconscious 
as on going to sleep. I cannot tell anything of the sense of hearing, as 
no sound reaches the ear to break the perfect stillness and silence of 
the regions between six and seven miles above the earth. My last ob- 
servation was made at 1 h. and 54 min. above 29,000 feet. Suppose 
two or three minutes to have elapsed between my eye becoming insen- 
sible to seeing fine divisions and 1 h. 54 min., and then two or three 
minutes more to have passed till I was insensible, which I think, there- 
fore, took place about 1 h. 56 min. Whilst powerless, I heard the words 
" temperature " and " observation, " and I knew Mr. Coxwell was in 
the car speaking to, and endeavoring to rouse, me — therefore conscious- 
ness and hearing had returned. I then heard him speak more emphatical- 
ly, but could not see, speak, or move. I heard him again say : " Do try ; 
now do. " Then the instruments became dimly visible, then Mr. Cox- 
well, and very shortly I saw clearly. Next I arose on my seat and looked 
as though waking from sleep, though not refreshed, snd said to Mr. 
Coxwell, " I have been insensible." He said, " You have, and I too, 
very nearly." I then drew up my legs, which had been extended, and 
took a pencil in my hand to begin observations. Mr. Coxwell told me 
that he had lost the use of his hands, which were black, and I poured 
brandy over them. I resumed my observations at 2 h. 7 min., recording the 
barometer at 11.53 inches, and temperature minus 2 degs. It is prob- 
able that three or four minutes passed from the time of my hearing the 
words " temperature" and " observation " till I began to observe ; if so, 
this gives 7 minutes for total insensibility. I found the water in the ves- 
sel supplying the wet-bulb thermometer one solid mass of ice, though 
I had by frequent disturbances kept it from freezing. It did not all melt 
until we had been on the ground sometime. Mr. Coxwell told me that 
while in the ring he felt it piercingly cold, that hoar frost was all round 
the neck of the balloon, and that on attempting to leave the ring he found 
his hands frozen. He had, therefore, to place his arms on the ring and 
drop down. When he saw me he thought for a moment that I had lain 
back to rest myself, and he spoke to me without eliciting a reply ; he 
then noticed that my legs projected, and my arms hung down by my 
side, and saw that my countenance was serene and placid, without the 




[R. GLAISHER INSENSIBLE AT TLE HEIGHT OF SEVEN MILES. 



4-0 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

earnestness and anxiety he had observed before going into the ring ; 
then it struck him that I was insensible. He wished to approach me, 
but could not ; and when he felt insensibility coming over him too, he 
became anxious to open the valve. But in consequence of having lost 
the use of his hands he could not do this ; ultimately he succeeded by 
seizing the cord with his teeth, and dipping his head two or three 
times until the balloon took a decided turn downward. 

No inconvenience followed my insensibility ; and when we dropped, 
it was in a country where no conveyance could be obtained and I had 
to walk between seven and eight miles. 

During the descent, which was at first very rapid, the wind was 
easterly. To check the rapidity of the descent, sand was thrown at 
2.30. The wet bulb seemed to be free from ice at this time, but I held 
the bulb between my thumb and finger, for the purpose of melting any 
ice remaining on it or the connecting thread. The final descent took 
place at Cold Weston, seven miles and a half from Ludlow. All the 
observations lead to the inevitable conclusion that a height of fully 
seven miles was attained. In this ascent six pigeons were taken up. 
One was thrown out at a height of three miles, when it extended its 
wings and dropped like a piece of paper ; the second, at four miles, 
flew vigorously round and round, taking a dip each time ; a third, 
thrown out at four miles, fell like a piece of stone. A fourth, thrown 
out at four miles, on descending, flew in a circle and alighted on the top 
of the balloon." 

Mr. Glaisher has made in all twenty-eight ascents. 

COXWELL. 

Mr. Henry Coxwell of England, who has made several hundred as- 
censions, began in 1844, under the name of Wells. Mr. Glaisher made 
most of his ascensions with Coxwell. 

In 1847 Mr. Coxwell ascended with three others, about 11 o'clock at 
night from London, with a discharge of fireworks from below the car. 
When 6,000 feet high the ballon burst. The neck of the balloon was 
tied to the hoop above the car. Coxwell was standing on the hoop. 
He cut the string which held down the neck, the latter was jerked 
violently up to the crown of the balloon, a parachute was formed, and 
they descended safely. In the descent the balloon was covered with 
sparks from the fireworks, threatening every moment to blow up. 

LE GEANT. 

In 1863, M. Nadar, an ingenious French photographer, constructed 
Le Geant. It held over 200,000 cubic feet. 

Underneath it was placed a smaller balloon, called a compensator, 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 41 

the object of which was to prevent loss of gas during the voyage. The 
car had two stories, and was in fact a model of a cottage in wicker 
work, eight feet high, and thirteen feet in length, containing a small 
printing office, a photographic department, refreshment room, &c. 
The first ascent was made at 5 o'clock, P. M., October 4, 1863, and 
thirteen persons went up. At 9 o'clock the balloon descended at 
Meaux, an accident to the valve line having occurred. A second as- 
cent was made a fortnight later with nine passengers. After a voyage 
of seventeen hours the balloon descended near Nienburg in Hanover, a 
distance of about 400 miles. A strong wind was blowing, and the 
balloon dragged over the ground a distance of seven or eight miles. 
The balloon was afterwards taken to England and exhibited at the 
Crystal Palace. 

THURSTON'S DEATH. 

September 16, 1858, Ira Thurston and a Mr. Bannister made an 
ascension from Adrian, Michigan, at 9 o'clock in the morning. After a 
journeyof forty minutes they descended about eighteen miles west of 
Toledo. They proceeded to empty the balloon. In doing so, Mr. 
Thurston took off his coat and got astride of the valve block. He 
suggested that the car be detached from the balloon, while he should 
hold it down with his weight. No sooner was this done then the 
still inflated body shot into the air with the suddenness of a rocket, 
taking Mr. Thurston along with it. In this perfectly helpless condition 
the ill-fated man sped straight into the sky. The part of the balloon 
filled with gas was fully twelve feet above him, and there was no way 
by which he could reach it and relieve it of gas. The balloon, mount- 
ing upward, sailed off toward Lake Erie. Some days after it was 
found near the St. Clair river, and on the 6th of October the body 
of the unfortunate was found about ten miles from the place from 
which he was carried. 

THE BALLOON IN WAR. 

Balloons have played an important part in war, and the British 
government is now introducing a department of balloons as a branch 
of the service. 

In 1794, at the battle of Fleurus, several balloons were sent up, re- 
tained by means of long cords, and the captains, placed in their car, were 
able to transmit their orders to their men below by means of colored 
flags. By this means an important advantage was gained, and the 
battle was won. 

During the rebellion balloons were frequently used, and at Island 
No. 10, especially, rendered great service. During the siege of Paris 
by the Germans, the balloon for four months afforded the sole means 



42 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

of departure from the capital, and many letters and dispatches were 
transmitted. Gambetta made a noteworthy escape irom Paris by this 
means during the siege. Sixty-four balloons altogether were sent up 
during the siege. 

THE LONGEST BALLOON VOYAGE. 

The thirtieth of the series, Ville d' Orleans, a balloon of 70,400 cubic 
feet capacity, ascended Nov. 24, 1870, under the management of M. Ro- 
ller, and a. franc tireur, named Deschamps, conveying 700 pounds of dis- 
datches and six pigeons. The ascent was made in a drizzling rain at 
II o'clock at night. In a few moments the balloon reached a height of 
8, 100 feet, and kept at about that altitude the whole night. Towns and 
villages rapidly succeeded each other in the intervals of the clouds. 
About half past three a sullen and prolonged noise was heard, which 
was at first taken for a railway train. The day broke later, with a 
light fog covering the earth. M. Rolier determined to descend natu- 
rally, without opening the valve, in order to ascertain his position, and 
the cause for the noise which he continued to hear. In proportion as 
he approached the earth, he perceived first a dark ground, which led 
him to suppose he was over a great forest ; then the color became 
bluish. Examining it attentively, he distinguished small spots scat- 
tered all over the surface, and he thought that the earth was covered 
with snow, partly melted. All this, however, did not explain the con- 
stantly increasing roar that struck his ears, and which greatly per- 
plexed him. 

The balloon descended slowly and majestically, without, however, 
affording to the aeronaut any explanation ol the menacing and constant 
roaring, and which was becoming to him a source of no little anxiety. 
In fixing his gaze on one of the white spots, he thought he perceived it 
moving; his attention became concentrated on it, and he acquired the 
fearful certainty that all these spots formed and disappeared alter- 
nately, like the foam of the waves. A cold sweat covered him 
from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet ; the balloon was 
floating over the sea. This was the unceasing noise which had pur- 
sued the travelers for three hours. 

OUT ON THE OCEAN. 

The. dispersion of the fog at the first rays of the sun gave them 
the means of confirming this conviction, and of perceiving the faint 
outlines of the land, at a very great distance, to the west. Recovering 
from this first emotion, and having reassured his fellow voyager, M. 
Rolier coolly examined the situation. It was terrible. The barometer 
indicated only 1,500 feet of height, and the balloon, which by the ex- 
pansion through the solar heat, had lost a part of its gas, in its lower 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 



43 



part was flabby and flapping. Below, in all directions, was the ocean. 
To have a chance of safety, it was above all things necessary to arrest 
the loss of gas. Climbing up on the shoulders of his companion, M. 
Rolier drew himself up in the ropes to shut the neck of the balloon by 
means of a tightly drawn cord. As the balloon yet descended, and as 
there was need of economizing the sand ballast, M. Rolier threw over 
a package of " Proclamations aux AHemands." Perceiving some 
vessels on the horizon, he had an idea of availing himself of the possi- 
ble approach of one of them to let himself down and be saved. A 
steamer had signalled the balloon by firing a cannon ; but descending al- 
ways, it was driven along with such a whirling velocity, that it had 
passed the steamer several kilometres, when the guide rope began to 
drag in the water. Nothing in truth indicates to the aeronaut the ra- 
pidity of his flight, when he has not a fixed point in view ; for the 
balloon is surrounded by a stratum of air, that advances simultaneously 
with it, and which appears immovable to the aeronaut whatever may 
be the speed at which it moves. Now, the Ville d' Orleans was clear- 
ing the space with the prodigious rapidity, as will be seen hereafter, of 
1 20 miles an hour. The car was only a few feet above the sea ; and an 
instant afterwards the strong shock of a wave almost upset it. 

FLYING ABOVE THE WAVES. 

Quick as a thought, the voyagers endeavored to bring back the guide 




THE BALLOON, IN LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN HOUR, REACHED A HEIGHT OF 15,600 FEET. 

rope, but in vain. A furious wind assailed the balloon and caused it to 
incline on its side ; the foam of the waves cover the areonauts ? who 



44 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

throw over several bags of ballast and cut the rope by which a package 
of sixty-five kilogrammes of private letters was attached to the car. 
Safety was at this price, for there was not yet a moment to lose. The 
balloon, relieved of a considerable weight, bounded into the air with a 
terrifying velocity, for the expansion of the gas could have produced 
an explosion. M. Rolier hastened to provide against this danger by 
opening the neck to let the excess of gas escape. This precaution 
was indispensable, for the balloon, in less than a quarter of an hour 
reached a height of 1 5,600 feet. 

We may say, en passant, that the package of dispatches thrown 
into the sea was not lost, as may be seen by the following paragraph 
from the London Times: "The Dantzic, of Christiansand, arrived at 
Leitch, Scotland, on the morning of the 30th of November, 1870, with 
a box containing sixty-five kilos of letters picked up by fishermen." 

In the meanwhile, the balloon plunged with increasing intensity into 
the mists, and the compass indicated a slight change of direction ; it 
veered towards the east and kept at a constant elevation. 

If the observation of the compass is by no means easy for the aero- 
naut, on account of the continued mobility of the needle, occasioned 
by the rotary movement of the balloon around its axis, the observa- 
tions of altitudes present also certain difficulties. The improved ba- 
rometers of Messrs. Lion & Guichard obviate this in great part, but 
another apparatus of their invention, applied for the first time in the 
Vi/led' Orleans, enabled M. Rolier to ascertain at any moment if his 
balloon was ascending, descending, or pursuing a horizontal direction. 
This apparatus consists of a metallic arrow, suspended horizontally 
above the basket, and having for barbs a large leaf of thin pasteboard. 
At rest, and during the horizontal movement of the balloon, the equi- 
librium of the arrow is perfect ; if the balloon rises, the resistance of 
the air acts upon the leaf, and causes the elevation of the arrow point ; 
the contrary takes place when the balloon descends, and the air pushes 
the leaf up and down. 

DESCENDING. 

When the observation of the barometer became impossible, on ac- 
count of the log and hoar-frost, the arrow indicated to our voyagers 
that the balloon, losing its gas, was slowly sinking. They determined 
again to close the neck of the balloon, and M. Rolier mounted in the 
cords to execute this manoeuvre, rendered very difficult by the intense 
cold, which had stiffened and frozen the material of the balloon. The 
thermometer marked thirty-nine degrees below the freezing point ; the 
car was filling with congealed rain, and the balloon and ropes were 
literally covered with ice. The garments of the unfortunate voyagers 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 45 

were frozen ; their "faces and hair were covered with hoar-frost, and 
they suffered an intense thirst from the rarefaction of the air. 

Notwithstanding their efforts to stop the escape of gas, the balloon 
kept descending. On the scattering of the fog they were struck with 
the magic spectacle of the balloon, covered with innumerable needles 
of ice, glittering like an immense globe with a thousand fires in the 
sun's rays, and constellated, as it were, with diamonds. 

This clearing-up spell was followed by another fog accompanied by 
a sound so strange, that M. Rolier attributed it to the whirlpool of the 
Maelstrom, and by a stifling sulphurous odor which produces a violent 
headache and rendered it difficult to breathe. This phenomenon arose 
from the electrified clouds which the balloon traversed. The observa- 
tions M. Rolier had the courage and sangfroid to take in this more 
than critical situation, became some months since, at the French 
Academy, the subject of a conference by M. Becquerel, one of the 
most erudite members of that assembly. 

As the balloon descended, grayish spots were perceived beneath, like 
strips of muddy water. They might be sand-banks, and hope returned 
to the hearts of the voyagers, when sinister crackings in the envelope 
of the balloon admonished them of a new danger. This envelope 
frozen by the cold of the high regions of the atmosphere, threatened to 
yield to the tension caused by the dilation of the gas as the balloon 
descended. M. Rolier slipped out on the ring and moderated the 
escape of gas, which was violently rushing out through the neck. It 
became necessary to suffer a certain loss, to avoid an immediate explo- 
sion, and in the meanwhile, to prevent as much as possible the waste 
of gas. 

THE PINE FORESTS. 

While he was in the ropes his companion called his attention to cer- 
tain undulations of the guide rope, the cause of which could not at first 
be recognized on account of the fog. But on examination with an 
attendant and a feverish emotion that any one can appreciate, their 
eyes fatigued by the monotonous whiteness of the fog, they seemed to 
distinguish a black point. M. Rolier instantly seized the cord of the 
valve, and requested his companion to hold in readiness a bag of ballast 
for any contingency. 

Meanwhile the black point became darker and colored to green, leav- 
ing no doubt that it was the top of a pine tree. How the unfortunate 
voyagers, who for more than eight hours believed themselves doomed 
to certain death, now felt, may be more easily imagined than described. 

They opened entirely the valve, thr.ew over the anchor, and the 
balloon striking the ground, the car sank in the snow. 

Rolier jumped on the ground, but the franc-tireur, whose leg was 



46 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

caught in the anchor ropes, could not free himself, and the balloon, 
relieved of the weight of one of its tenants, dragged the other along 
with it. Ro'ier clung to one of the dispatch bags hanging around the 
car, but he could only break a little the ascent of the monster, which 
was furiously cracking and snapping the pines it came in contact with 
like wisps of straw. The franc~tireur at last succeeded in getting his 
leg loose, and the aeronauts let themselves fall from the height of about 
forty-five or fifty-five feet. Fortunately a deep bed of snow was there to 
receive them and break their fall, which was harmless. Rolier got on 
his legs and holding on to the guide rope, tried to stop the balloon ; 
the rope, however, slipped through his hands, and the balloon disap- 
peared in the air with all its contents, including the case of carrier- 
pigeons, the letters and the provisions. 

IN AN UNKNOWN LAND. 

After the first emotion of inexpressible joy on touching terra firma, 
our voyagers devoted themselves to the examination of their new situa- 
tion. This was not by any means encouraging. After having passed 
fourteen hours and forty minutes above the clouds, they found them- 
selves on Friday, November 25, at 2 o'clock and 20 minutes P. M., 
alone without provisions or arms, upon an unknown land. The snow 
was falling in great flakes, and already covered the earth to the depth 
of twenty-one inches. A mountain peak of prodigious height, covered 
with ice, rose before them to the west, and an immense pine forest sur- 
rounded them on all sides. Everything indicated a desert country, 
without any signs of human habitation. 

They resolved to march to the south, and they advanced in this direc- 
tion for some time, having the snow knee deep, and descending with 
difficulty the declivity before them, losing their foothold, and slipping 
and supporting themselves as best they could, by the pine branches. 
An incident broke the monotony of their fatiguing journey. Three 
huge wolves crossed their path at about three hundred feet distance, 
and, though they moved quietly on their way, they nevertheless gave 
our travelers cause for serious reflection. 

After three hours' walking, M. Rolier sank exhausted to the ground. 
The franc-tireur who, in the balloon, had been weak and irresolute, 
recovered his energy on touching the earth. He made a sort of bed of 
a great pine branch, and placed upon it his sleeping companion. He 
then set about to look out, in the vicinity, for some better shelter to 
pass the night ; and he discovered an abandoned cabin, the roof of 
which had been crushed in by the snow, and which contained some 
hay. Having swept away the snow, the travelers buried themselves in 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 47 

the hay up to their eyes, and made themselves as comfortable as 
possible. 

THE WATCHES OF THE NIGHT. 

This was only comparatively, however. Exhausted by fatigue, suffer- 
ing fearfully from hunger and cold, Rolier was a prey to a violent fever, 
which kept him awake a long time. An aurora borealis shed its 
strange light on the savage scenery around them. After having slept 
some hours, while his companion kept guard, Rolier, in his turn, 
mounted guard during the slumber of the franc-tireur. 

Daylight found them on their feet, and their first care was to provide 
themselves with stout traveling sticks from the forest, out of which they 
had not yet issued. During this proceeding, as they again perceived 
fresh tracks of a herd of wolves, they hastened to quit this ill-omened 
locality, and directed their steps further to the south. Soon the track 
of a sleigh and the print of a horse's foot in the snow came to revive 
their courage. They followed this precious guide during three-quarters 
of an hour, until it brought them to an isolated hut half buried in the 
snow, and before which stood a sleigh laden with hay. Their joy was 
great, for the absence of snow on the hay indicated that the sleigh had 
been recently laden, and led them to believe in the presence of some 
human being. They halted, however, hesitating to advance, for the 
appearance of this miserable hut was not very reassuring. What kind 
of a reception could they expect from the inhabitants of this cabin, the 
only opening of which was a door, and the windows of which were 
closed by skins ? 

SIGNS OF CIVILIZATION. 

They entered ; not a solitary creature — an empty room ; an opening 
in the roof served as a chimney ; some smoky faggots on the ground, 
alone attested the recent departure of the natives. In a corner was a 
bed of hay on four planks, and covered with a skin. Before the bed 
were a pair of well cut wooden shoes, and upon plank shelves on the 
wall, some plates and stone-ware pots. To complete these signs of 
civilization, there were a coffee-pot, with the mark of coffee yet warm, a 
zinc vase, containing cooked potatoes, and a pot of sour milk. The 
starved travelers devoured a part of the supplies of their unknown 
hosts, not desiring to appropriate the whole, through fear of exciting 
their displeasure. They next made a fire to warm themselves, await- 
ing, meantime, and not without some apprehension, the return of the 
natives, respecting whose nationality they indulged in the most im- 
probable conjectures. Upon this subject they could get no informa- 
tion. 

The fire blazed, and, thanks to the beneficent influence of the heat, 
and the satisfaction given to their famished stomachs, they became more 



48 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

sanguine and courageous. Their investigations led to the discovery of 
some pairs of well-made woolen stockings, which they were engaged in 
trying on, when they heard a voice outside calling : " Clas ! Clas !" 
They rushed to the door, and beheld two men coming toward them, 
and leading a little horse, harnessed to a sleigh. 

Rolier advanced to meet them, saluted them, and received in response 
a very reassuring greeting. The conversation soon took a most sympa- 
thetic tone ; only the natives did not understand a single word of 
what the Frenchmen said to them, who, likewise, on their part, com- 
prehended absolutely nothing. It was necessary to have recourse to 
pantomine, which was a perfect success, for these excellent natives 
hastened to serve their guests with the best of their larder; rancid lard 
and strange sausages, and making themselves as hospitable as possible. 

Towards the end of the repast, the coffee which they called kafie, 
proved that it would not be altogther impossible to find some words 
common to the two languages, at least nearly so. While the French- 
men were sipping the coffee, Clas (for this was the name of one of the 
natives) closely inspected the torn boots which M. Rolier had placed to 
dry before the fire. All of a sudden, Clas, who had just read the 
address of the boot-maker, striking his forehead, cried out : " Paris, 
Paris, French !" and the two natives rushed to the Frenchmen, repeat- 
edly and affectionately shaking them by the hands. 

M. Rolier, calling now the pencil to his aid, succeeded, by a sketch, in 
making them understand how he became their guest, for his interlocu- 
tors answered : " Ja,ja, batloun, ballouti" He had not yet, however, 
himself obtained any precise knowledge as to the country where he 
found himself. Proceeding to light a cigar, he perceived a box of 
matches, which gave him at last some information on this head. This 
box bore the inscription : " Nitedals Taendstikkers, Pi Sund, Chris- 
tiana." They were then in Norway. 

NEARLY 2,000 MILES IN LESS THAN FIFTEEN HOURS. 

The Ville a" Orleans had traveled 1,950 miles in less than fifteen 
hours, and had deposited M. Rolier upon Mount Lid {Lidfielct), at the. 
foot of one of the highest peaks of the Scandinavian Cordilleras, in the 
province of Thilcmarken. It had then resumed its wild course, and 
finally came to the ground sixty-two miles to the north-west of Mount 
Lid, at Kroedershea, where it produced a great fright among the super- 
stitious people of the country. According to all probability, the balloon 
had quitted France above Dunkirk; had crossed England, turning 
afterwards to the east, and taking the open sea as far as the heights of 
Sandal Norway ; thence inclining to the northeast, it crossed a space of 
about 160 miles, passing above uninhabited provinces of Norway, where 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 49 

no human succor could have reached the aeronaut, and which, fortu- 
nately, a dense fog obscured from his sight. After learning his situation, 
and, without losing time, M. Rolier engaged the brothers Clas and 
Harold Strand to convey him in a sleigh, to the neighboring village of 
Sligjord. He had yet in his possession the despatch for the govern- 
ment at Tours, to which chance had given such an immense detour, 
and which he was desirous of expediting to its destination. He set out 
for Christiana, traveling this distance of 160 miles in sleigh to Houg- 
sund, and thence by rail. 

ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. 

The cordial reception given to the French travelers, whose miracu- 
lous arrival had produced the most enthusiastic excitement throughout 
the country, transformed their journey into a continued series of ova- 
tions. A dispatch of M. Hept, French Consul-General at Christiana, 
December 3, 1870, to Comte de Chandordy, Acting-Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, contains a glowing picture of the demonstrations of sympathy, 
and of admiration for his courage bestowed on M. Rolier by the popu- 
lation of Christiana, Kongsberg, Drammen, and other points of Nor- 
way through which he passed. A fete was given in his honor at the 
Capital by the notables of the bar, the army and navy, the government 
officers, and by the leading merchants. His progress, in fact, every- 
where throughout the country, resembled a triumphal march, the popu- 
lation turning out on all sides to honor him. 

The first care of M. Rolier, on his arrival at Christiana, was to tele- 
graph to Tours, in cipher, a copy of the dispatch entrusted to his 
charge. He offered his balloon to the University of Christiana on con- 
dition of its being exhibited for the benefit of the victims of the war, 
and he authorized the sale of his portrait, and of a commemorative 
medal, made of alloy, in which the metal of his electric batteries was 
mingled. The product of these operations, and the subscriptions of 
the Norwegians in favor of the French wounded, in three days 
amounted to nearly $5,000. This sum M. Rolier delivered to the gov- 
ernment at Bordeaux, when he arrived there to render an account of 
his mission. In recognition of the brilliant manner in which he had 
performed it, he was appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and 
Officer of the Order of Saint Olaf of Sweden. 

300 MILES IN SIX HOURS. 

One of the most notable balloon ascents from Paris during the siege, 
was that of the Volta, the thirty-fifth of the series, containing 72,000 
cubic feet. It contained Dr. Janssen, who left, charged with a scientific 
mission to Algeria. He embarked Dec. 2, 1870, at 6 A. M. The bal- 



50 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

loon arose at once to a height of 7,200 feet and descended shortly 
before noon, at St. Nazaire, accomplishing a journey of 300 miles. 

FROM PARIS TO ICELAND. 

In 1 876, the remains of a balloon were found on the coast of Iceland 
In the car were human bones — an incomplete skeleton — -and a leather 
traveling bag, containing papers so mouldy as not to be deciphered. It 
is conjectured that this was the balloon de Jacquard, that ascended 
with Prince, a seaman, alone, from the foot of Montrouge on Nov. 28, 
1870, during the siege of Paris. This balloon contained 550 pounds- oi 
dispatches, and was last seen above Rochelle. A bag of dispatches 
from this balloon was picked up in the channel. Whether Prince was 
killed while attempting to land in Iceland, or whether he was drowned 
near the coast can only be conjectured. 

THE ZENITH DISASTER. 

One of the most lamentable examples of carelessness is furnished in 
the fatal ascent of the Zenith balloon, made under the auspices of the 
French Aerial Navigation Society. By ■ its direction MM. Croce- 
Spinelli and Sivel, made in 1874, an ascent to a height of 23,900 feet 
noting many valuable observations. In 1875, it was decided to make 
two scientific voyages ; one of great duration, the other to a greal 
height. 

THE ASCENT OF LONGEST DURATION. 

The balloon Zenith ascended on the first of these from Paris wit! 
MM. Sivel, Croce-Spinelli, Albert and Gaston Tissandier and Joberi 
at 6.20 P. M. on March 24, 1875. They were provided with a drag rope 
2,600 feet long. The balloon passed over Paris, maintaining an altitude 
of from 2,300 to 3,600 feet. Their direction was north north-west 
oceanward. They descended from this altitude and at a height of 30c 
feet encountered a cool breeze which took them inland again, and in ; 
southerly direction. Finally, twenty-two hours and forty minutes aftei 
having left the earth the voyage terminated at Montplaisir, near Bor. 
deaux, about 300 miles from Paris. During the night they beheld the 
moon encircled by a splendid cruciform halo. Their highest altitude or 
this voyage was 3,930 feet. 

THE UNINHABITABLE HEIGHT. 

This ascent had been so successful that it was determined to ascen< 
to the very highest point at which it was possible to sustain life, and or 
the 15th of April, 1875, Gaston Tissandier, Croce-Spinelli and Sive 
ascended again in the Zenith from Paris, at 11.32 A. M. They wen 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. $1 

provided with an aspirator and an oxygen apparatus, for inhaling pure 
oxygen. 

All went well for the first hour and a-half, but in ten minutes more, 
at the altitude of three and three-quarter miles, the aeronants began to 
be distressed, their hands were frozen, and breathing became difficult ; 
their spirits, however, did not flag. After inhaling a little oxygen 
they felt better, Sivel threw out some ballast, and the balloon mounted 
still higher. Suddenly all three became powerless and fell senseless, 
Tiesanaier retaining consciousness to the height of a little over five miles. 
It was then 1.30 P. M. At 2.08 P. M. Tissandier and his companions 
regained their senses, found the balloon to be rapidly descending, and 
in order to stay the descent Spinelli threw out quantities of ballast and 
an instrument for breathing air, termed the asftzrateur, which weighed 
eighty pounds. The balloon once more ascended, and again the occu- 
pants became unconscious. At 3,15 Tissandier regained his senses, 
found the balloon to be descending at a frightful speed, and his two 
companions lying dead at the bottom of the car, their faces black and 
their mouths covered with blood. 

THE SURVIVOR'S NARRATIVE. 

M. Tissandier's account of the catastrophe is given in his own words : 

" I arrive at the fatal moment when we were seized with the terrible 
influence of the atmospheric depression. At 22,900 feet we were all 
standing in the car ; Sivel, for a moment bewildered, recovers himself ; 
Croce-Spinelli is unaffected. " See," says the latter ; " how beautiful 
are these cirrhi !" 

In a word it was beautiful, this sublime spectacle above us. Cirrhi 
of various shapes formed about us a circle of a silvery white. Away 
below the car we could behold the earth's surface, as at the bottom of 
a well, the walls of which these clouds formed. The sky, far from 
being dark and profound, was of a clear and limpid blue ; the burning 
sun almost scorched our faces. Meanwhile the cold began to make its 
influence felt, and we had already placed our wraps about our shoulders. 
A dazed feeling seized me, my hands were cold and frozen ; I desired 
to put on my fur gloves, but without noticing it, the act of taking them 
in my hands required on my part an effort which I could no longer 
make. At this height of 22,900 feet I wrote almost mechanically in my 
note-book. I transcribe literally the following lines ; the exact moment 
of writing them I cannot remember, but they are traced in a scarcely 
legible manner, by a hand which the cold had caused to tremble exces- 
sively : 

" I have frozen my hands. All goes well. Fog on the horizon, with 
small, rounded cirrhi. We are ascending. Croce is panting. We 
breathe oxygen. Sivel closes his eyes. Croce also closes his eyes. 







'.■.■'.' I 



. iimuuiiii 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 53 

Temperature, — 10 degrees i h. 20 m. P. M. Sivel is drowsy — 1 h. 25 m. 
Temperature, — 1 1 degrees. Sivel throws out ballast — Sivel throws out 
ballast." 

These last words are barely legible. Sivel, in fact, who had been 
for some moments quiet and motionless, occasionally with his eyes 
closed, recovered himself, doubtless with the idea that he desired to 
exceed the limit to which the Zenith had previously ascended. He 
raised up, erect ; his energetic face suddenly lit up with an unaccus- 
tomed glow. He turned towards me and said : 

" What is the pressure ? 

" Three hundred " (about 24,500 feet high). 

" We have lots of ballast — shall I throw out some ? " 

I answer him : 

" Do as you like." 

He turns towards Croce and puts the same question to him. Croce 
nods his head very decidedly in token of affirmation. There were in the 
car at least five bags of ballast ; there were besides nearly as many 
hanging outside by cords. These latter, I should add, were not entirely 
full ; Sivel certainly knew their weight, but \ cannot state exactly what 
they did weigh. Sivel takes his knife and cuts successively three cords ; 
the three bags empty themselves, and we ascend rapidly. The last 
clear recollection of this upward movement goes back to a moment pre- 
vious to this. Croce-Spinelli was seated, holding in his hand the 
mouthpiece of the oxygen apparatus ; his head was slightly inclined and 
he seemed fatigued. I had still the power to strike with my finger the 
aneroid, in order to facilitate the movement of the needle ; Sivel had 
just raised his hand as if to point to the upper regions of the atmos- 
phere. 

Though I was not absolutely prostrated, I had without doubt already 
lost the power of moving. At the height of nearly 25,000 feet, the 
state of lassitude which one experiences is extraordinary. The body 
and mind become enfeebled, little by little, gradually, insensibly and 
imperceptibly. There is no suffering ; on the contrary, one experiences 
an internal delight, and it is the feeling of a ray of light pouring in 
upon one. One becomes indifferent, thinks not of danger ; one ascends, 
and ascending is happy. The vertigo of the upper regions is not an 
idle word ; but as far as I can judge by my personal impressions, this 
vertigo affects one at the last moment ; it immediately precedes utter 
prostration, but it is sudden, unexpected and irresistible. 

When Sivel had cut loose the three bags of sand at the height of 
about 24,500 feet, I believe I recollect his sitting on the bottom of the 
car, where I was lying. I was feeling so weak that I was unable to 
turn my head to look at my companions. Presently I wanted to take 



54 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

hold of the oxygen tube, but it was impossible for me to raise my 
shoulders. My mind all the while was very clear. I was steadily re- 
garding the barometer, I had my eyes fixed on the needle, which soon 
reached the figure 290, then 280, which it passed. I cry out, " We are 
at 26,200 feet !" 

But my tongue is as if paralyzed. All at once my eyes close 
I fall helpless, and recollection departs. It was about half-past 
one. At three minutes past two, I awoke for a moment. The balloon 
is rapidly falling. I was able to cut loose a bag of ballast, with the 
idea of checking the descent, and to write on my register the following 
lines : 

" We are descending ; temperature, — 8 degrees ; I throw out ballast. 
We are descending. Sivel and Croce are still motionless on the floor 
of the car. We are going down very fast." 

Hardly had I written these words when a kind of trembling seized 
me, and I fell exhausted. The wind came up with violence, denoting a 
very rapid descent. Some moments after, 1 felt myself shaken by the 
shoulder, and I recognized Croce who had recovered. 

" Throw out ballast," he says, "we are falling." 

But it was with difficulty that I opened my eyes, and I had not seen 
if Sivel was aroused. ' 

A FATAL MISTAKE. 

I recollect that Croce detached the aspirator and threw it out, and 
that he threw out ballast also. All this is a confused and brief recol- 
lection, for I relapsed into a state of insensibility more complete than 
before, and it seemed to me that I was wrapped in an eternal slumber. 
What occurred ? It is certain that the balloon, relieved of its ballast, 
impermeable as it was and much heated, remounted again to a great 
height. 

At 3.30. about, I reopened my eyes, felt myself weak and exhausted, 
but my senses had returned. The balloon descends with frightful 
velocity, the car sways to and fro, oscillating violently. I drag myself 
to my knees and take hold of Sivel and Croce by the shoulders. 
" Sivel ! Croce !" I cry, " wake up !" 

My two companions were crouched down in the basket, their heads 
hidden under their neck wraps. I exerted my strength and tried to 
rouse them. Sivel was black in the face, the eyes were without expres- 
sion, his mouth was open and filled with blood. Croce's eyes were 
half closed and his lips were bloody. 

To narrate in detail what passed after that is impossible. I felt a 
frightful wind coming up from below. We were still 23 000 feet high. 
There were two bags of sand in the car, and these I threw out. Soon 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 55 

I neared the earth, and felt for my knife in order to cut the cord with 
which the anchor was tied ; I could not find it. I was half crazed 
and continued to shriek " Sivel ! Sivel ! " By good luck I put my hand 
on a knife and so detached the anchor at the right instant. The shock 
of the landing was extremely violent. The balloon seemed to flatten 
out and I believed that it was going to remain fast. But the strong 
wind carried it along, the anchor did not hold, and the basket bounded 
along the ground. The bodies of my unfortunate friends were jostled 
about and nearly thrown out. Finally I seized the valve-cord, the 
balloon speedily emptied itself, and collapsed against a tree. It was 
then 4 o'clock. I had landed in the fields near Ciron, 156 miles from 
Paris. 

An examination of the self-registering instruments showed that we 
had attained an extreme altitude of between 28,000 and 28,200 feet. I 
have no doubt that the death of Croce and Sivel was caused by the 
want of air, resulting from the atmospheric depression. It has been 
supposed by some that the accident was caused by their inhaling the es- 
caping gas of the balloon. I am persuaded that this is not so. In many 
previous ascensions, I have experienced the odor of gas escaping much 
more freely than it did on this ascension, and neither myself nor my 
companions have suffered any serious effect. The neck of the balloon 
is far enough from the car to enable the gas to mix freely with the air, 
which would very greatly diminish its effect. Croce-Spinelli and Sivel 
were still living after having attained a height of 26,200 feet ; they met 
their fate on the return of the balloon to the upper air, when the aerostat 
had lost nearly all the gas that could escape by the neck." 

The cause of the catastrophe is mainly attributed to M. Croce-Spin- 
elli having thrown over a weight so heavy as the aspirator, doubtless 
through loss of presence of mind. M. Tissandier, the survivor, was, 
curiously enough, the oldest and least robust of the three. It is his 
belief that M. Glaisher could not have ascended to the height he re- 
cords, as in so doing he and his companion must have perished. 

Sivel, who had been a naval officer, had made more than 1 50 ascents, 
and Tissandier had ascended nearly thirty times, while Spinelli, a fre- 
quent voyager of the air, had made a study of the atmosphere. 

DURUOF AND HIS WIFE IN THE SEA. 

M. Duruof, a well-known French aeronaut, announced that he, with 
his wife, would attempt to cross the English Channel from Calais, on 
August 31, 1874. The balloon was inflated, but the wind was unfav- 
orable, and a postponement was announced. On his return to his 
hotel, he was taunted with cowardice by the crowd. This offended 
both him and his wife, and they left the table abruptly, saying that they 



56 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

would show the Calais people that they were not afraid to die. After 
having attached his car hurriedly to the ring, he ascended, taking his 
wife with him. The woman was more enraged and determined than 
her husband. She had no bonnet nor shawl. They ascended at 7 P. 
M., with only a few sacks of ballast, weighing about twenty pounds 
each. In ten minutes they were out of sight in the dark, traveling at a 
fearful rate towards the open sea, and in* a north-north-easterly direc- 
tion. Night came on, and the aeronauts, thinly clad and without pro- 
visions, suffered greatly. They drifted about the whole night, and 
when daylight came, they found themselves over the North Sea. M. 
Duruof, not knowing how far he was from land, manoeuvred to de- 
scend, in order to get picked up by some vessel. They had been ten 
hours in the air, and were now doomed to be dragged two hours 
through the water, for, though they were seen and chased by a fishing 
smack, it was quite that time before they were overtaken. The balloon, 
dragging with the car half under water, was every moment in danger 
of bursting, but at last the captain and mate of the smack Grand 
Charge reached them, and with great difficulty managed to get them 
into their yawl. The balloon went off at a great speed towards Nor- 
way and was lost. 

ANOTHER DESCENT IN THE OCEAN. 

August 21, 1876, Duruof, with another gentleman, ascended from 
Cherbourg at 4.45 P. M. The wind carried the voyagers out to sea. 
Duruof hoped to rise into an upper stratum moving in a contrary direc- 
tion, which would bring him back to land ; but not meeting with this 
after mounting to a height of 12,000 feet, he determined to descend into 
the sea, where, by the orders of the Port Admiral, four steam launches 
and a tug-boat were on the lookout for him. Duruof had made prep- 
arations for this feat, corks being affixed to the car of the balloon, and 
a friction cone being lowered into the water, to serve as an anchor to 
the balloon. Just at the moment when the cone reached the sea, Dur- 
uof threw out eleven bags of ballast, but although this naturally in- 
creased the upward tendency of the balloon, the cone held it fast, and 
presently the crew of one of the steamers caught the ropes thrown out 
by the aeronauts, and hauled her down so steadily that the balloonists 
stepped from the car on to the steamer's deck, as from a carriage. 

THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF DONALDSON. 

The record of no aeronaut possesses a more romantic or melancholy 
interest than that of Washington H. Donaldson, who perished like De 
Rozier at the very time when success and popularity seemed most as- 
sured. Donaldson was born in Philadelphia in 1840. Possessing an 
admirable physique and superabundant energy, his propensity for an 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 57 

active, restless life early developed itself. Breaking away from all re- 
straint before he had acquired more than a very ordinary education, he 
appeared on the stage of a variety theatre as a gymnast, and for a num- 
ber of years followed the calling of a variety performer, at times trapez- 
ist, ventriloquist, and magician. He became very expert as a tight 
rope walker, and in 1862 walked across the Schuylkill river on a rope 
1,200 feet long, ending by jumping into the river from a height of 90 
feet. Two years later he walked a rope over the Genesee river at 
Rochester, N. Y., 1,800 feet long. From 1857 to 1871 he travelled 
throughout the United States, appearing some 1,300 times in various 
variety theatres. In 1871, on August 30, he made his first balloon 
ascent in an old balloon called The Comet, from Reading, Pa. The 
balloon held about 9,000 feet of gas, and the aeronaut ascended with- 
out any previous knowledge of the principles of air traveling, but 
with that perfect confidence which he always possessed. The balloon 
was so small that all the ballast had to be thrown out before it would 
rise, and then it lodged on the roof of a house near by. The adven- 
turer then threw out his rope, coat, boots and hat, when the balloon 
rose gracefully to the height of about a mile and a quarter. It de- 
scended in a ploughed field some 18 miles distant from the town. This 
ascension was designed by Donaldson simply as a means of attracting 
attention to a variety performance that he gave the same evening, but 
the sensation of the trip was so delightful that he determined at once 
to adopt the calling of an aeronaut. 

On the 4th of September Donaldson made a second ascension in 
The Comet from Reading, attired in circus costume and balancing him- 
self upon the bar of a trapeze. As the balloon ascended he performed 
a series of difficult feats upon the trapeze, and these he continued until 
out of sight. At the height of a mile he pulled the valve cord, and 
with such strength that the balloon was torn and the gas escaped so 
rapidly that the descent was sudden and violent, giving the aeronaut a 
very severe shock. From this time on Donaldson ascended from vari- 
ous places, and on every occasion with his trapeze bar, attracting much 
attention, but securing so little pecuniary advantage that he was unable 
to provide himself with such an outfit as a prudent aeronaut would 
deem necessary. On January 18th, 1872, he ascended from Norfolk, 
Va., and at the height of a mile burst his balloon by a too forcible use 
of the valve cord. As Donaldson states, "The balloon did not collapse, 
but closed up at the sides, and swaying from side to side, descended 
with frightful velocity. I clung with all my strength to the hoop. I 
could not tell how badly I was frightened, but felt as though all my 
hair had been torn out. I scarcely had time to realize that I was alive, 
when with a crash I was projected with the velocity of a catapult into 



58 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

a burr-chestnut tree. The netting and rigging catching in the tree 
checked my velocity, and I had my grasp jerked loose, and was preci- 
pitated through the limbs and landed flat upon my back, with my 
tights nearly torn off, and my legs, arms and body lacerated and bleed- 
ing. On examining the balloon, I found the valve close as a bottle and 
turned inside the balloon, which had a rent running from the crown 
to the neck and was turned inside out." Four days later he ascended 
again from Norfolk with the same balloon, repaired. He was nearly 
carried out to sea on this occas ; on, and only escaped doing so by 
climbing up the netting and cutting a large hole in the balloon. He was 
nearly suffocated, but clung to the ring, and the balloon landed him in 
the t op ot the last tree that separated him from the expanse of water. The 
balloon was completely wrecked. He then constructed The Magenta, 
which held about 10,000 feet. With ihis he ascended from a number 
of points, and on July 4th, 1872, he went up from a beer garden in 
Chicago, was carried out over Lake Michigan, descended into the 
lake, and was dragged through the water for over a mile, finally bring- 
ing up against a stone pier with such force as to render him sense- 
less. Two days later he had repaired his balloon and made another 
ascension, was carried out over Lake Michigan, when, striking another 
current, he was wafted back over the city, and floated for an hour over 
Chicago, during which he enjoyed a splendid view cf the town. The 
burnt district lay just beneath him and the fallen ruins were imposingly 
black and desolate. In the fall of that year he ascended from East Sag- 
inaw, Mich., and reached a height of 19,000 feet. On May 17th, 1873, 
he ascended from Reading, Pa., in a balloon constructed of brown manilla 
paper. It is an illustration ol the sublime courage and i,elf confidence 
of the man that, not having the means to build an ordinary balloon, he 
was willing to trust his lite to an inflated envelope of brown paper, 
enclosed in a netting made of common fish-line. This balloon 
weighed complete, 48 pounds, and contained 14,000 cubic feet. His 
ascension was successful, the aeronaut reaching an altitude of over 
2,000 feet, and traversing a distance of ten miles. Immediately after 
this Donaldson endeavored to procure means in Boston to enable him 
to attempt to cross the Atlantic. He failed in this, but his tffort at- 
tracted the attention ot the managers of The Daily Graphic, who soon 
after contracted with him and Wise to make the experiment. The 
Graphic people undoubtedly went into the undertaking in good faith. 
They were led to believe in the existence of a constant easterly air cur- 
rent, but were mistaken in believing it possible to maintain a balloon 
at the required altitude of two to three miles long enough to make the 
voyage successful. They placed at the disposal of Wise and Donald- 
son more than the amount stipulated for as necessary to construct the 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 59 

apparatus, and everything asked for was provided. They relied upon 
Wise to superintend the construction, and this he neglected to do. 
The bulk of responsibility was left upon Donaldson, who had to carry 
through the construction of the largest air-ship ever built, a balloon 
holding over 700,000 feet of gas, although he had never used a bal- 
loon up to this time of more than 15,000 cubic feet capacity, and 
had derived no knowledge of aeronautics except what he had ob- 
tained unaided in his limited experience. The balloon was con- 
structed, unnecessarily ponderous, but exceedingly strong, and on the 
morning of October 7th, at ten minutes past 9, The Graphic balloon 
was despatched from Brooklyn in a strong gale, setting directly ocean- 
ward. Wise had declined to go, as was expected, and Donaldson as- 
cended, accompanied by two representatives of The Graphic. 
The inflation was very successfully managed by Prof. King, who had 
been specially engaged for the purpose, as Mr. Donaldson, after two 
previous attempts, had frankly confessed his inability to inflate and 
despatch the monster. It was the largest balloon that ever made a 
free ascension. The wind was favorable and the departure was in- 
tensly thrilling and interesting to those who witnessed it. A long 
voyage was anticipated. The wind blew directly ocean ward. 
The air-ship went off with great speed, and was visible from the 
point of departure for an hour. It rose to a height of a mile, and 
was carried nearly as far as Montauk Point, the eastern ex- 
tremity of Long Island, when it encountered a violent storm moving 
northward. The balloon finally descended in Ne»v Canaan, Connecti- 
cut, in the midst of the storm, the aeronauts landing in great peril, 
but in safety. The boat carried on this trip was very staunch and 
seaworthy, and weighed nearly two tons. Had Donaldson possessed 
sufficient skill and experience, he probably would have succeeded in 
making a voyage of at least 1,000 miles. 

TWO REMARKABLE INCIDENTS. 

Two very singular occurrences were connected with The Graphic 
balloon enterprise. While this great air-ship was in process of com- 
pletion Donaldson made a number of ascensions in his small balloon, 
The Magenta, from the grounds in Brooklyn. On one of these trips she 
passed over a farm-house in the interior of Long Island. The farmer, 
who had not seen much of the outside world, happened to observe the 
balloon as it passed over. The shock upset his mind and he became 
insane, and so remained until his death, which took place in 1878. The 
other incident transpired on the trip of The Graphic. Augustus Hem- 
enway was a well-known merchant millionaire of Boston. He had led 
an active life and was very successful. It was about the period of the 



60 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

inception of The Graphic enterprise that Mr. Hemenway perceived that 
his mental faculties were failing him. He put his affairs in perfect or- 
der, and, resigning the full charge of his immense business to his 
brother, retired to a private insane retreat at Litchfield, Conn. While 
there he was accustomed to read The Graphic, in whose illustrations he 
appeared to take considerable interest. When the balloon project was 
first broached he took to reading about it, and often talked with the 
people about him on the subject. His mind had failed him to a large 
extent, but he had occasional lucid moments. One day, while sitting 
in the garden attached to the retreat, he looked up and exclaimed, 
" Why, there's the balloon !" Sure enough, The Graphic balloon was at 
that instant passing overhead. The attention of those about was at- 
tracted, and the aerostat was watched until it disappeared from view. 
From that moment Mr. Hemenway was a perfectly sane man. He im- 
mediately returned to Boston, resumed charge of his affairs and con- 
ducted them with usual prudence and ability until his death, which oc- 
curred some three years later. He left an estate valued at several mil- 
lions. The truth of this incident is vouched for by the Boston news- 
papers, from which this account is taken. 

WITH P. T. BARNUM. 

In 1874 Mr. Donaldson connected himself with the circus of P. T. Bar- 
num as aeronaut, and made many ascensions, going from place to place 
with the exhibition. On the 24th of July he ascended from Gilmore's 
garden in a balloon containing 54,000 feet of gas, with five passen- 
gers. These he continued to land one after the other as the power 
of the bal.oon was lost, but by the aid of the guide-rope he kept afloat 
for thirteen hours, landing finally at Greenport, near Hudson, 130 
miles from New York. 

Four days after he ascended again from Gilmore's Garden, with 
five passengers. He landed two passengers at Camp Hill, Rockland 
County, three hours after starting, and again ascended. At 2 A. M. 
he again met the ground in Wallingford, Vermont, and there remained 
till 8 A. M., when he ascended again, and this time to a height of 
1 3,000 feet. At noon the voyage terminated at Thetford, Vermont, after 
having traversed 400 miles in all. October 19, in the same year, 
Donaldson ascended from Cincinnati, taking up a couple v/ho were 
married in the basket in mid-air. 

June 23, 1875, Donaldson ascended from Toronto, Canada, taking 
with him three reporters. They were carried out over Lake Ontario, 
were in close proximity during the night to a blazing meteor, and 
finally through loss of gas, descended to the water, through which they 
were dragged, clinging to the ropes, for many miles. They were 







■ ■ ' [ .'-:' 1 : 



62 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

finally picked up almost exhausted by a small boat from a passing 
schooner. 

He continued with the Barnum show until he met with the terri- 
ble disaster that ended his life. 

DEATH IN THE LAKE. 

This occurred in the night of July 15, 1875. The balloon, named 
the P. T. Barnum, ascended from the Hippodrome, Chicago, at 
5 P. M. Donaldson was accompanied by Newton S. Grimwood, of 
the Chicago Evening Journal, who had disputed with another re- 
porter for a seat, and whose fatal lot was decided by the toss of a 
coin. The balloon held 83,000 cubic feet, and departed with about 800 
pounds of ballast. It rose to a height of about a mile and floated to 
the north-east over the lake, at the rate of about fifteen miles an hour. 
In about an hour and a half the balloon was out of sight. At 7 P. M., 
the Little Guide, a small craft, standing out some thirty miles from the 
Illinois shore, sighted the balloon. It was then occasionally dipping 
its basket in the lake, only a mile and a-half away. The schooner 
headed for it, but before it could overtake it, there seemed to be a 
sudden lightening of the car, and the balloon shot upwards to a great 
height, and soon disappeared. This was the last ever seen of the 
balloon. That night a terrific storm swept down upon the lake. How 
the two men met their fate was never known ; but on the 16th of Au- 
gust, the body of Grimwood was found on the east shore of Lake 
Michigan, near Stony Creek. The body was fully identified. It was 
completely clothed, except that the hat and' boots were missing, and 
around the body was a broken life preserver. Of Donaldson, or of the 
balloon, no trace has ever been discovered. He perished miserably on 
his 139th air voyage, unquestionably one of the most intrepid souls 
that ever lived. 

THRICE OVER THE SAME POINT. 

Sept. 12, 1876, D. S. Thomas, an amateur aeronaut of some expe- 
rience, ascended from New Haven, and encountering various currents 
at different altitudes, as high as 7,500 feet, was enabled to cross back 
and forth across the city three times within three hours. At one time 
his balloon went out over the Sound as far as five miles from land. 

FLYING MACHINES. 

A very great number of flying machines have been designed and 
projected, but few have ever passed beyond projects. In the still air 
of a room it is of course not difficult to attach an apparatus to a balloon 
so as to direct its motion, but there seems little chance of the construc- 
tion of a satisfactory flying machine unless means can be found to 
make a steam engine of much less weight than is at present necessary. 
In 1852 and 1855, M. Giffard, of Paris, than whom no one can be more 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 63 

anxious to solve the problem of the air, experimented with flying 
machines, but has never since repeated his experiments in this direction., 

DR. ANDREW'S AEREON. 

One of the most ingenious of these devices was that constructed by 
Dr. Solomon Andrews, of Perth Amboy, N. J., in 1863. It was formed 
of three pointed cylindroids of varnished linen, each eighty feet long 
and thirteen feet in diameter. They were covered with netting which 
held a basket suspended sixteen feet below. On the trial trip this 
apparatus traveled short distances at the rae of twenty-five miles an 
hour. Its plan of motion was to give it an inclinaion to the horizon, so 
that it might rise or fall like the brd ; the levity of the gas overcoming 
gravitation. In 1865 a company was formed to develop the idea. In 
the spring of 1866 the machine made two excursions from the corner 
of Houston and Greene streets, New York. On the first it rose a-half 
mile high, and landed in Astoria. On the second, it rose a mile and a- 
half high, and descended on Long Island,; wen y miles away. It was 
said on this occasion to have borne up against the wind. Nothing further 
ever came of this scheme. 

Last year Richtel's flying machine attracted some attention. It was 
an elongated, cylindrical balloon, worked with a fan. While it was 
possible to operate it in still air, it proved to be nothing new, and was 
exhibited as a toy. 

THE EASTERLY CURRENT. 

It is the general belief that a continuous easterly current exists at a 
considerable altitude from the earth, and most aeronauts support the 
theory ; but the difficulty exists of maintaining a balloon long enough 
at such an altitude to enable it to accomplish any very great distance. 

HOW HIGH WILL A BALLOON RISE? 

The height to which a balloon will rise is determined from the law 
according to which the density of the atmospheric strata diminishes as 
the distance from the earth is increased. The buoyant force diminishes 
with the density, and when it is reduced to a quantity only equal to the 
weight of the balloon and its appendages, no further ascension can 
take place. As the pressure of the external air is diminished, the ex- 
pansive force of the confined gas becomes greater ; and a balloon quite 
filled at the surface of the earth would be torn to shreds at the height 
of a few miles, unless a portion of the confined gas were allowed to 
escape. For this purpose, the neck of the balloon, into which the gas 
is introduced, is commonly left open, and the machine is also furnished 
with a safety valve at the top, which can be opened or shut at pleasure. 

SUPPOSE IT BURSTS. 

A descending balloon, half full of gas, naturally rises to the top of 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 65 

the netting and assumes the form of a parachute, thus materially les- 
sening the rapidity of descent. In one of Mr. Glaisher's ascents, the 
balloon was collapsed to avoid going out to sea, and the balloon de- 
scended two miles in four minutes. The occupants of the car were 
unharmed. 

The dangers attending the bursting of a balloon in mid-air are gen- 
erally over-estimated. In a majority of cases, a large surface would be 
presented to the air in falling by the spreading of the cloth against the 
top and sides of the netting, and thus the balloon would assume a par- 
achute form and land its passengers in safety. 

HOW A BALLOON ACTS. 

The balloon usually rises in an oblique direction, under the combined 
influence of the vertical ascensional force and the direction of the wind. 
As soon as it mounts into a stratum of air having the same density as 
itself, it ceases to ascend, unless more ballast is thrown out, and fol- 
lows the course of the aerial current. As regards the particles of air 
which surround it, it is quite motionless, as it floats with the air, and 
the aeronaut may be swept along with the swiftness of a tornado with 
nothing to indicate to him, unless he can see the earth, that he is not in 
the quiet of a complete calm. M. Flammarion states that in an aerial 
journey of 120 miles, he never felt himself in motion, and that from a 
glass of water filled to the brim, which was placed within the car, not a 
drop was shaken out, although the balloon was constantly rising and 
falling hundreds of feet. 

APPEARANCE OF THE EARTH FROM A BALLOON. 

All perception of comparative altitudes of objects on or near the 
ground is lost. Everything is reduced to the same level; even the 
lower detached clouds seem to rest on the earth. Always, however 
great the height of the balloon, the horizon appears to be on the level 
of the car. Towns and cities, when viewed from a balloon, seem like 
models in motion. Mr. Glaisher says : " I shall always remember an 
asc-ent when we passed over London about sunset. At the time when 
we were over 7,000 feet high and directly over London Bridge, the scene 
around was one that cannot probably be equalled in the world. We 
were still so low as not to lose sight of the details of the spectacle 
which we saw ; with one glance the homes of 3,000,000 people could be 
seen, and so distinctly that very large buildings were easily distinguish- 
able. The whole of London was visible, and in some parts most 
clearly. All round, the suburbs were very distinct, with their lines of 
detached villas, imbedded, as it were, in a mass of shrubs ; beyond, the 
country was like a garden, its fields, well marked, becoming smaller 



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REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 67 

and smaller as the eye wandered farther away. Again, looking down 
there was the Thames, throughout its whole length without the slightest 
mist, dotted over on its winding course with innumerable ships and 
steamboats, like moving toys. 

" I have seen London by night ; I have crossed it during the day at 
the height of four miles ; I have often admired the splendor of sky scen- 
ery, but the spectacle at sunset I have never seen surpassed. The roar 
of the town was a deep, rich, continuous sound ; but at the height of 
four miles, all was hushed ; not a sound reached our ears." 

CONCAVE APPEARANCE OF THE EARTH. 

Not the least remarkable phenomenon which presents itself to the 
aeronaut is the concave appearance of the earth, which arches beneath 
him as the sky does above, so that he may be said to float between two 
vast concavities. 

THE SENSATION. 

However much you may be made giddy on a house-top or at an 
upper window, dizziness never affects you in a balloon. Dizziness is 
something wholly unknown to balloon travellers. Nor is there any 
sensation of being drawn swiftly through the air, as there is in a com- 
mon swing, a fact that is easily explained when it is remembered that 
the balloon necessarily travels with the moving current of air, at the 
same velocity as the air itself. There is no sensation of motion what- 
ever, and when one withdraws his gaze from objects below, the balloon 
seems to be poised perfectly still in the air, although it may be moving 
onwards at the rate of thirty, forty or fifty miles an hour. While en- 
veloped in the clouds, or in close proximity above them, this singular 
phenomenon is all the more striking, for every perceptible object around 
you or beneath you seems relatively becalmed. So far as dizziness is 
concerned, it might possibly ensue in case the passenger was seated on 
top of the balloon, instead of being suspended beneath it with no point 
of reference between him and the earth. So motionless does the bal- 
loon seem, that it often becomes necessary to watch given points below 
with the closest scrutiny, and to throw out streamers or bits of paper 
in order to detect its actual direction. In rising or falling very rapidly 
there is sometimes the merest ripple of air, but even an upward or 
downward motion of the balloon cannot be detected ordinarily, without 
the use of streamers, flags, or pieces of paper. If the balloon is going 
up, the flags and streamers hang straight and motionless. If it is fall- 
ing, the resistance causes them to wave or rise, and bits of paper from 
descending so much slower, are left far above the balloon. Sometimes 
when the balloon is descending with great rapidity and sand is thrown 
out — as it of course must be to lighten the balloon, and thus check the 



68 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

descent — the sand is left above in the air and comes rattling down 
upon the balloon and upon the heads of its passengers, giving the first 
warning, possibly, of a deviation from a straightforward course to all 
save the aeronaut himself, who is argus-eyed, and on the lookout for 
the slightest change in altitude or direction. 

And then, as to the causes which lead to the rising and falling of 
the balloon, independent of the will of the aeronaut. If the balloon 
has received considerable buoyancy at the outset, it rises until the 
envelope or bag holding the gas is distended to its fullest capacity 
through the lessened atmospheric pressure from without. The gas 
escapes throughout the open neck of the balloon, which serves as a 
sort of safety valve. Sometimes it becomes necessary, also, to relieve 
the gas pressure by allowing it to escape through the valve at the top. 
In case of a very rapid ascent, where the gas envelope is already dis- 
tended to its utmost, failure to do this would probably result in the 
bursting of the balloon, and the instantaneous emptying of the entire 
gas contents, and it is thus made a very considerable part of an aero- 
naut's business to do the right thing at the right time. Nothing so 
much depends upon the coolness as well as the knowledge and skill of 
a single person, as in the navigation of a balloon — and by navigation, 
of course, is meant simply its regulation as to upward and downward 
courses, landing, etc , for there is no control to be had over its direction 
except so far as contrary currents, where they exist, may be made 
available. The balloon must necessarily go whither it is wafted by the 
wind. 

The rays of the sun in heating the gas in the balloon will cause it to 
expand and rise, and the cooling of the balloon by the intervention of 
a cloud between it and the sun, will invariably cause a downward ten- 
dency. In a partially cloudy day a balloon is thus subjected to a suc- 
cession of changes in its condition, which necessitate the expenditure 
of much gas or ballast, as the case may be, to check its rising or fall- 
ing tendencies. It frequently happens, on approaching a forest or large 
body of water, that the balloon suddenly begins to fall, and a descent 
into the tree-tops or a plunge into the waves must be guarded 
against. 

THE GUIDE ROPE. 

The guide rope consists of a rope of several hundred feet in length 
attached to the ring of the balloon, and hanging down so that its 
lower end trails out on the surface of the ground, the object being 
to prevent the continual waste of gas and ballast that takes place 
in an ordinary balloon journey, as such an expenditure is otherwise 
always going on, owing to the necessity of keeping the balloon from 
getting either too high or too low. If a balloon provided with a 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 69 

guide rope sinks so low that a good deal of the rope rests on the 
earth, it is relieved of so much weight, and if it contains enough gas 
to lift the weight of the apparatus, it rises again ; if, on the con- 
trary, it rises so high that but a little is supported by the earth, a 
greater weight is borne by the balloon, and if this weight exceeds 
the ascensive power in the balloon, an equilibrium is gradually pro- 
duced. 

THE COLLAPSING CORD. 

All modern balloons of any size, if properly built, are furnished with 
a collapsing cord. This is a stout rope, sewed to the interior lining 
of the balloon from the crown down in such a manner as to enable 
the aeronaut, by a vigorous pull, to split the balloon from top to bot- 
tom and discharge the gas instantly. 

THE FRENCH CAPTIVE OF 1867. 

In 1867 M. Giffard constructed a balloon of 176,500 cubic feet 
capacity, which was used as a captive at the time of the French Interna- 
tional Exhibition of that year. It was inflated with hydrogen gas 
and made a number of ascensions, and was regarded as a success. It 
was exhibited in a circular inclosure, built to protect it from the 
weather. It was called The Entreprenant, and was afterwards burst 
while undergoing inflation, at Havre, in September, 1868, preliminary 
to an attempt to cross the English Channel. 

THE LONDON CAPTIVE. 

In 1869 M. Giffard constructed a captive balloon at Chelsea, near 
London, in a circular inclosure formed of linen upon a wooden frame 
extending to the height of a five-storied house. The diameter of the 
inclosure was 575 feet. In the centre of this space stood the balloon, 
121 feet high. The apparatus for hoisting was similar to that used 
with the captive of 1878. The rope was 2,132 feet long, and weighed 
5,900 pounds. Its breaking strain was 40,000 pounds. The first ascen- 
sion was not made until a fortnight after the inflation. The material 
weighed 5,500 pounds. This balloon made a number of ascensions 
during very severe winds without accident. Its first ascension was 
May 3, 1869. Its career as a captive terminated on the 28th of the 
same month. 

The balloon was carelessly allowed to break loose, when it shot away 
and was found some twenty leagues from London, near Linslow. The 
car was not injured in the least. This balloon was put together and 
sent to Paris, whence it made an ascension under the name of The 




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REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 71 

North Pole, on June 27, 1869. It descended at Anneau. The opera- 
tions of this balloon were not successful, financially or otherwise. 



GIFFARD S CAPTIVE OF 1 878. 

The Captive Balloon of Paris, of 1878, was operated for three months 
in the Court of the Tuileries during the Exposition with great success 
and without a single accident. 

It was one of the chief objects of interest to visitors at the Exposition. 
In its general plan of construction it, with its apparatus, was similar to 
that used by Prof. King, during the present season, except that the gas 
was manufactured by the wet process, while Prof. King uses steam. 
The history of this balloon furnishes a record of success and credit to 
its projector from first to last. 

The ascensions were commenced by the aeronautic crew of M. 
Giffard. The car contained six persons, but the wind, which was vio- 
lent, drove the car above the Seine, almost above the baths of Pont 
Royal. A bather there came near being drowned, so overcome with 
surprise was he to see the balloon hovering above him. This first 
ascension took place on Friday, the io/h of July, about six o'clock in 
the evening. As in former ascensions, the cable, which was not suffi- 
ciently stretched in advance, got caught upon the spires of the wind- 
lass, occasioning severe shocks, the effect of which was very singular. 
These afterwards ceased entirely. The wind was very strong next day, 
so that the second ascension did not occur until Sunday, the 21st of 
July. The wind was then very quiet, and the ascension almost verti- 
cal. Le Petit Moniteur, le Temps, le National and le Soir were repre- 
sented in the car by one of its editors. The falling of the temperature 
was only one degree centigrade for 300 metres, due to the repose of 
the atmosphere, while the night before it had been four times that 
amount. 

Towards the close of the week the Captive balloon for the first time 
ascended to the height of 500 metres. 

MM. Jansens, member of the Institute and war aeronaut ; Ganchor, 
Secretary of the Association of the War Aeronauts, Perre ; Bosc, 
aeronaut ; Admiral Mouchez, Danbree, Baron Thinard, member of the 
Institute ; Mandron, Secretary of the Institute, unceasingly participated 
in these preliminary ascensions. Certain members disappeared at the 
moment of departure, while others sent letters of congratulation from 
a distance. 

Before opening the Captive balloon to the public it was subjected to 
the examination of a committee formed by the Prefect of Police. 

The committee gave their approval while advising some modifica- 



72 REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 

tions in detail, and expressed their approbation of the general princi- 
ples as well as of the construction of the apparatus. 

The first public ascension of this balloon was on Sunday, July 28. 
The first passenger was an American, who had stood at the head of a 
line since morning. The number of trips made were twelve, and were 
prolonged without interruption till sunset. Women were therein great 
numbers and were not among the least enthusiastic. Among the pas- 
sengers who most attracted the public attention were three members of 
the Japanese mission. 

The next day the ascensions commenced early and were very numer- 
ous. The wind blew from the south-southwest and propelled the bal- 
loon for the first time over the Rue de Rivoli. The inhabitants of that 
quarter, surprised by this visit, regarded it with great attention. From 
this side, in heavy winds, the projection of the balloon might reach the 
church Saint-Roche and the car the Grands Magasins du Louvre. 

A strange incident occurred one day. A balloon which had been 
launched from Grenelle passed so near the Captive that it was neces- 
sary to stop its upward progress to avoid a collision. This balloon, 
which seemed very small, carried one aeronaut and a passenger in its 
car. 

On August 3 the habitues of the Court of the Carrousel had the op- 
portunity of seeing the novel sight of the balloon penetrating the zone 
of clouds, which was owing to their low altitude. About seven o'clock 
in the evening the balloon was floating about 400 metres high, when one 
of the passengers perceived the silhouette of the balloon reflected u pon 
a cloud as upon a mirror, and which was surrounded by iridescent col- 
ors of irregular form. By a singular optical delusion the shadow of the 
balloon rose in proportion as the balloon descended toward the earth. 

Sunday, the 5th of August, M. Leon Say made his ascension. It 
occurred about one o'clock. M. Giffard occupied the car, with the 
Minister of Finances and the gentlemen who formed his suite. All 
that day two different currents, blowing simultaneously above Paris, 
could be plainly distinguished, which caused the presence ot mist in 
the air 

The height to which the French captive balloon ascended was nearly 
2,000 feet. The panorama that lay spread out to view at this height 
baffled description. Below were the Tuileries ; near by the Seine in its 
winding course, looking like a trail of blue ribbon. All the public 
buildings could be fairly distinguished— the great Arc de Triomphe, 
the Vendome Column, the Invalides, the Place de la Concorde, the 
Exhibition Buildings, all focused at a single point — a grand spectacle, 
to witness suspended in mid-air. 

It would be difficult to estimate the number ot visitors to the Paris 



REMARKABLE RECORD OF THE BALLOON. 73 

balloon of 1878. It was very great, and among those who ascended 
were many very notable persons. Sara Bernhardt, the celebrated 
actress, was a daily passenger, and has recorded her experiences in a 
work lately published. 



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